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shoestring 1 of 2

noun

ˈshü-ˌstriŋ How to pronounce shoestring (audio)
Definition of shoestringnext
as in dime
a very small sum of money trying to start a business on a shoestring

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

shoestring

2 of 2

adjective

as in spindly

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shoestring
Noun
Promises of investment at face value are encouraging but United have historically run their women’s team on a shoestring budget and yet managed to overperform. — Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026 Each project was created on a shoestring budget without outside financing. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2026
Adjective
First-time customer Regan Hau ate the chili alongside a basket of shoestring french fries, an item Waite said Town Topic didn’t offer until the ‘80s. — Kansas City Star, 22 Aug. 2025 Shot on a shoestring $2 million budget from private financing by Altavista Films — a rarity in late-’90s Mexico where most movies were still state-subsidized — Amores Perros was edited by Iñárritu himself, in his home, over several grueling months. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 21 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for shoestring
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoestring
  1. dime
  2. spindly
  3. stringy
  4. wispy
  5. twiggy
  6. lanky
  7. willowy
  8. reedy
Noun
  • No matter what, their dime look had enough problems to warrant a change this quickly.
    — Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Giannoulias hasn’t taken a dime from AIPAC — the American Israel Public Affairs Committee — in this campaign, but that didn’t stop the mayor from attempting to tie Giannoulias to the misery in the Middle East.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of dime
Adjective
  • The front door opens to a wall of giant spindly cacti masking large south-facing windows.
    — Wendy Goodman, Curbed, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Slowly, the Royal Prince of Hungary, Bohemia, and Croatia gets to his feet and places his spindly arms around the barman, who is old enough to be his father.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of spindly
Adjective
  • Members arrived dressed in a version of church clothes — men in crisp button-downs and stringy black ties, women in long swishy cotton skirts.
    — Claire Hoffman, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
  • After blasting apart the woman and an infected farmer, their bodies fuse together with stringy tendrils from inside each of them.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of stringy
Adjective
  • These messy waves and wispy bangs, however, were her own doing, according to Nollet.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The wispy brow-skimming strands cover still cover the forehead while blending seamlessly into her tousled waves thanks to face-framing layers that fan out toward her cheekbones.
    — Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of wispy
Adjective
  • Prune away small twiggy growth and dead, diseased, or crossing canes.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Remove any twiggy branches that are thinner than a pencil, branches that cross each other, and all dead or diseased branches.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 16 July 2026
Definition of twiggy
Adjective
  • Verity ultimately transforms into a tall, lanky monster chasing ThatMob in the dark.
    — Owen Carry, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Mukhamadullin, a lanky 6-4 Russian, is the X-factor as a newcomer from the San Jose Sharks.
    — Janson Duench, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of lanky
Adjective
  • However, the primary reason for these willowy airfoils is entirely practical.
    — David Szondy August 04, New Atlas, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Cosmos Cosmos help create an ethereal-looking garden, thanks to their long, willowy stems and bright, fluffy blooms that come in dozens of vibrant colors, from rich chocolate cosmos to delicate ‘Apricotta’ tones.
    — Melissa Epifano, The Spruce, 8 July 2026
Definition of willowy
Adjective
  • The prosecutor, Johann Frischman, laid out, in a reedy voice, the criminal complaint.
    — William Finnegan, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
  • Among those acolytes is Lucien (Jérémy Gillet), a reedy, repressed young virgin who yearns to be part of the gay community but hasn’t the courage to come out to his domineering mother Christine (Elisabeth Wiener), who also just happens to be the country’s very right-wing health minister.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 23 May 2026
Definition of reedy

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shoestring
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Cite this Entry

“Shoestring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoestring. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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