as in dime
a very small sum of money
trying to start a business on a shoestring
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in spindly
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shoestring
Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 18 Dec. 2025
Tillman already has two massive picks this season, and came up huge with a second-down shoestring sack of Marcus Mariota in the fourth quarter.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 1 Dec. 2025
Erik Kirschbaum, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2021
Recent polls show that public opinion of Trump is souring as former Vice President Joe Biden pulls ahead in crucial swing states, despite a shoestring campaign and self-confinement to his Delaware home.
—Justin Sink, Bloomberg.com, 12 May 2020
See All Example Sentences for shoestring
Noun
Interior designer Kelley Kolettis based out of Little Rock, Arkansas, especially looks to shop on a shoestring for home decor items that will need to be replaced often.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 18 Dec. 2025
Tillman already has two massive picks this season, and came up huge with a second-down shoestring sack of Marcus Mariota in the fourth quarter.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 1 Dec. 2025
Adjective
The nonpartisan Wahl-O-Mat runs on a shoestring annual budget of 100,000 euros, or $120,000, with just three staff members under the aegis of the federal agency for civic education (BPB), Pamela Brandt, project manager since 2004, said in an interview.
—Erik Kirschbaum, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2021
Recent polls show that public opinion of Trump is souring as former Vice President Joe Biden pulls ahead in crucial swing states, despite a shoestring campaign and self-confinement to his Delaware home.
—Justin Sink, Bloomberg.com, 12 May 2020
See All Example Sentences for shoestring
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoestring
Noun
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There is also a dime, additional quarters and a half dollar depicting American values and historic figures that are soon to be released.—
Sarah Moore,
Freep.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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And while not all events and museum admissions are free, many are, and offer a nice way to get acquainted with some terrific galleries and exhibits without spending a dime.—
Randy McMullen,
Mercury News,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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These spindly designer picks will look right at home year-round and can elevate a space, inside or out.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
28 Jan. 2026
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One is a spindly stick about 2 1/2 feet (80 centimeters) long that could have been used for digging in the mud.—
Adithi Ramakrishnan,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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It's typically dried rather than eaten raw, with a brittle shell and stringy pulp that's traditionally cracked open and steeped to make a mildly sweet, herbal tea.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Riots of color, a horse or a human figure here or there, stringy webs of fabric.—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
13 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Within the image, thick clouds of cold hydrogen gas arrange themselves into ridges and wispy filaments.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
21 Jan. 2026
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This results in plasma flows curving backward instead of expanding freely, and old plasma is pushed sideways, forming long, wispy tails.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Focus on removing crossing, touching, weak, or misshapen branches that grow upwards or downwards into other layers, and remove twiggy, spindly growth down the trunk.—
Gemma Johnstone,
The Spruce,
18 Jan. 2026
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Soften the twiggy grapevine with sprigs of feathery broomcorn seed heads tucked between the garland stems.—
Maria Sabella,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Toward the end of February trim lanky plants back and continue the water and fertilizer applications.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Jan. 2026
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Starting too early causes seedlings to grow tall and lanky with weak stems.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Nat wore a slinky blue dress, which suited her willowy frame.—
James Marcus,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
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Behind him, were more stars: Adut Akech and the impossibly willowy Elizabeth Debicki.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Park lakes and reedy little streams—anything not too polluted from the steel factories.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
20 Jan. 2026
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But his voice is still warm and reedy—a deviated septum helps give it that slight nasal edge—and the notes land precisely, if not predictably.—
Alex Abramovich,
New Yorker,
22 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shoestring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoestring. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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