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
Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 29 Nov. 2025
Produced on a shoestring budget, the film barely made a ripple on its initial release.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 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
Many of America’s remaining household goods manufacturers trade on colorful origin stories, which typically involve immigrants, shoestring operations and the quest for the American dream.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 29 Nov. 2025
Produced on a shoestring budget, the film barely made a ripple on its initial release.
—Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 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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For example, a large, fully-laden ship can't stop on a dime.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Hamilton plays deep safety, nickel corner, dime linebacker and edge rusher.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, other plants struggle when light levels drop in winter, developing spindly stems and discolored leaves.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Jan. 2026
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Making the most of his spindly body and LaGuardia High School–bred smirk, Chalamet uses his inescapable boyishness completely to his advantage, bringing an immature audacity to the classic in-over-his-head operator.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
1 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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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
-
Spaghetti Squash Cooked spaghetti squash has a stringy texture that resembles thin spaghetti noodles.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
21 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Consisting of wispy layers that create soft movement, akin to fluttering butterfly wings, the cut is a popular option for cascading long lengths.—
Hannah Malach,
InStyle,
8 Jan. 2026
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Even the skin around the bean had a distinguishable bite, clinging to each chickpea rather than turning slippery or wispy.—
Sam Stone,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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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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Sampson is a lanky 6-foot-4 guard.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Jan. 2026
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Native to Mexico, these flowering plants are somewhat lanky shrubs in their natural habitat.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
25 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Nat wore a slinky blue dress, which suited her willowy frame.—
James Marcus,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Behind him, were more stars: Adut Akech and the impossibly willowy Elizabeth Debicki.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Then, there’s a creepy, reedy Charlie Plummer doing his best Caleb Landry Jones as Gary, #5, who goads other players into shedding down to their weakest points to eliminate them.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shoestring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoestring. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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