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
Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2026
His brand is scrappy, by-the-skin-of-our-teeth filmmaking with shoestring budgets and, in early days, iPhones serving as film cameras.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026
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
Stearns was Cohen’s white whale, a boy wonder who turned the team in the league’s smallest market, Milwaukee, into a perennial contender on a shoestring budget.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2026
His brand is scrappy, by-the-skin-of-our-teeth filmmaking with shoestring budgets and, in early days, iPhones serving as film cameras.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026
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
-
Despite not costing a dime, Tubi offers an entertaining assortment of movies and TV shows on numerous platforms.—
Jordan Minor,
PC Magazine,
1 June 2026
-
Look, the – the people that assaulted police officers on January 6th and vandalized our Capitol should not get one dime of taxpayer money from that fund or anywhere else.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
However, many annuals can become spindly and produce fewer blooms than expected unless they are pinched back.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
28 May 2026
-
The pilot episode’s cold open showed Edward’s (now-deceased) wife, Grace (Dee Wallace), being attacked by a mysterious, spindly creature in the middle of the night.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
Everyone is bulbous, stringy, or malformed.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
-
The end product is usually tough, dry, and stringy.—
Rebecca Firkser,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
The wispy tendril of smoke keeps the mosquitoes at bay and simultaneously smells like your best indoor candle, with notes of jasmine and salt air—a perfect accompanying scent for a summertime supper on the patio.—
Betsy Cribb Watson,
Southern Living,
30 May 2026
-
There are baby bangs, thick bangs, and wispy bangs.—
Kinsey Jasnoch,
New Yorker,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
Their twiggy legs and bony frames exposed in bathing suits, the kids do indeed look extra vulnerable within the film’s savage landscape.—
Beatrice Loayza,
Variety,
25 May 2026
-
Hummingbirds need the safety of shrubs and twiggy trees to perch on.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
21 May 2026
Adjective
-
Their first statement signing to launch the project was the €42m purchase of the lanky and languorous Argentine playmaker.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
-
The Bruins’ lanky center fielder, who was suspended for Friday’s game, came home when Call – a platoon second baseman to begin the year who started in center field on Friday – lined his second hit of the game to left.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
The first-class crew are divinely shady, with willowy Brooke Lynn Hytes making Amber a kind of drag Disney villainess.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
1 June 2026
-
Moss-colored chaise longues in the living area, piled with pillows and wool blankets, are perfectly positioned to take in the view, as are the four-poster beds with wool-blend mattresses and willowy gauzy curtains.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
Firm if slightly sweaty handshake notwithstanding, there’s a gentleness to Root; old-school manners, slender shoulders and a reedy Sheffield twang.—
James Wallace,
New York Times,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shoestring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoestring. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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