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
Eric Olson, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026
Alternative media operations run on shoestring budgets and rely on enormous corporations like PayPal to operate correctly.
—Literary Hub, 3 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
Bethune-Cookman’s baseball team plays in the second-weakest conference in Division I, runs on a shoestring budget and its home games draw an average of 87 fans.
—Eric Olson, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026
Alternative media operations run on shoestring budgets and rely on enormous corporations like PayPal to operate correctly.
—Literary Hub, 3 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
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December 24, 2025,' and that '[n]ot one dime has been paid towards' it since then.—
Jay Adkisson,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
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Times of unusually high uncertainty inherently make Fed communication less helpful because circumstances can change on a dime, Mester, the former Cleveland Fed president, said.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
17 May 2026
Adjective
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A bit on the spindly side (6-foot, 170 pounds), Reichel’s problem through his young career has been finding the inside ice.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
14 May 2026
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These are the ports, pipelines, and oil refineries of Shandong province and its borderlands, where the hulking architecture of oil storage tanks and spindly profiles of smokestacks jut up from barren, coastal flatlands.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
Adjective
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The end product is usually tough, dry, and stringy.—
Rebecca Firkser,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
14 May 2026
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Finally, dingy, discolored, or stringy towels need to get the heave-ho.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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On the sideline, DRC’s French head coach Sébastien Desabre pulls at his wispy white hair.—
Franklin Leonard,
Vanity Fair,
14 May 2026
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Popular sedge plants include two-toned, coppery-brown Japanese sedge, as well as wispy brown New Zealand sedge.—
Lee Wallender,
The Spruce,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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For those, trim away dead, damaged, or twiggy growth, and shape lightly if needed after blooming.—
Katherine Owen,
Southern Living,
20 Apr. 2026
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Choose Rustic Materials Wood structures and twiggy supports throughout the garden give it a timeless charm.—
Miranda Crowell,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Use a dwarf variety of this typically tall annual to avoid lanky flowers that could fall over.—
Nellah Bailey McGough,
Southern Living,
12 May 2026
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Trevor is a lanky, handsome Pacific Northwesterner duly decked out in flannel and denim.—
Matt Thompson,
SPIN,
11 May 2026
Adjective
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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
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Given the differences in Western and Eastern beauty standards, and the realities of setting a romance in the hockey world, neither Shane nor Ilya fit the mold of BL’s feminine, willowy bishonen.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Rencher, tall and reedy, was more reserved than his partner, but armed with razor-sharp wit.—
Kate Armanini,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2026
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That reedy Vox Continental organ sound would re-emerge during the punk and New Wave era of the late 1970s and early ’80s with Joe King Carrasco and the Crowns and Elvis Costello and the Attractions.—
Hector Saldana,
San Antonio Express-News,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shoestring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoestring. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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