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
Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 19 Feb. 2026
The fresh fries are shoestring style.
—Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 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
A lot of new late-night shows operate on even more of a shoestring.
—Joy Press, Vanity Fair, 19 Feb. 2026
The fresh fries are shoestring style.
—Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 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
-
Jamal Murray has been torching opposing defenses, and Nikola Jokić is dropping dimes left and right.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The Italian metal extremist has been going down a rabbit hole of his own with a series of highly technical I, Voidhanger releases marked by extraterrestrial synth work and winding, stop-on-a-dime riffs.—
Sam Goldner,
Pitchfork,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Despite being a spindly 180 pounds, he has not been worn down by the rigors of the Big 10 or the NCAA tournament, having scored in double figures in every game since the calendar turned to 2026.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2026
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Known as the night-blooming cereus, the plant spends most of the year blending into the desert as a spindly, stick-like shrub.—
Dante Motley,
Austin American Statesman,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
They’re made of pairs and trios of quarks that are bound together by stringy trails of gluons.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Use a bit of hair powder to keep your bangs from appearing stringy.—
Krista Carter,
InStyle,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
From 1964 portrait sessions to The Supremes publicity stills in ‘66, the singer’s shapely ‘do often delicately framed her wispy lashes.—
Essence,
Essence,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Thin hair tends to have wispy ends.—
Amanda Le,
InStyle,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
All types of roses, except climbing varieties, can be pruned to remove long canes, dead or declining portions and twiggy growths.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 Feb. 2026
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Wholesale shearing results in plants with dense foliage atop dead, twiggy branches.—
Luke Miller,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The lanky 73-year-old paddled the river five days in a row in late March, guiding vacationing couples, families and university students, many of them on their first run of the Rio Grande.—
Lauren Villagran,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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The Miami Marlins’ lanky, 6-8, hopeful ace of the future fired his first four-seam fastball to Jake McCarthy at 98 mph.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
28 Mar. 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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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
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At the Upper West Side outpost of the Strand, the actor is a reedy presence, his small figure buried in a large North Face winter jacket and topped with a shock of curly hair.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shoestring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoestring. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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