as in dime
a very small sum of money
trying to start a business on a shoestring
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as in spindly
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shoestring
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
Andrew Greif, NBC news, 15 Aug. 2025
Doing more than anyone else on a shoestring budget and finding ways to wring every bit of value out of every player that comes through their organization.
—Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shoestring
Noun
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
Adjective
If Grand Slam Track were ultimately successful in drawing strong ratings and crowds, there was a hope that such demand could entice more outside investors with deep pockets to pour money into a sport that often operates on shoestring budgets compared to other professional leagues.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 15 Aug. 2025
Doing more than anyone else on a shoestring budget and finding ways to wring every bit of value out of every player that comes through their organization.
—Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shoestring
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoestring
Noun
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Despite the massive fan base and continued success of the original show through reruns, Shatner hasn't earned a dime in residuals.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
In 1938, millions of Americans mailed dimes to the White House to support President Roosevelt’s fight against polio — funding the first successful vaccine and sparking a culture of small-dollar giving.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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If your petunias and coleus look spindly and leggy, use pruning shears to cut them back by about one-half.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Bare, blackened trees with pointed, spindly limbs and black soil that felt strange underfoot, both spongy and brittle.—
River Selby
August 25,
Literary Hub,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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In the dressing room, after applying lipstick and rouge, Kaliardos plopped a wig of long, stringy brown hair on Costanzo’s head.—
Henry Alford,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
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Some of the pastas from the Middle East have a lot more egg in them and are stringy.—
Jennifer Kester,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Thanks to advanced image processing and stacking, the nebula's wispy filament of dust appears red and blue next to star 52 Cygni.—
Harry Bennett,
Space.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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White, wispy dust and gas clouds reflect the light from surrounding stars.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Wood structures and twiggy supports throughout the garden give it a timeless charm.—
Miranda Crowell,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Summer pruning helps remove lanky growth and improve airflow to discourage disease and pests.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Cut back stems that are long and lanky both to improve their appearance and to encourage fresh growth and possibly more flowers.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Her willowy frame takes a tremendous battering as brutes slam her into tables and through walls.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2025
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Only two bodies remain still: Ferran’s, in one corner of the platform, and that of a young man (Jabez Sykes) diagonally across from her, tall and willowy and pale — two statues that seem moonlit while the rest of the world writhes and sweats around them.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Mount developed his characterization, with his reedy voice, suspicious eyes and slumped posture, on set.—
Lauren Coates,
Variety,
4 Aug. 2025
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Liam sang most of the songs in his reedy yowl, all charisma with his hands pulled behind his back, head tilted up toward the sky and a parka often inexplicably zipped all the way up to his chin.—
Paula Mejía,
Vulture,
5 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shoestring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoestring. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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