as in cramming
to fit (people or things) into a tight space
the organizers of the county fair shoehorned the craft booths between the midway and the farm exhibits
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Recent Examples of shoehorning
No longer shoehorning into skates never made for her, the next version of someone else’s ideal.
—
Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoehorning
Verb
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If a dozen new works over four days isn’t enough, try cramming 50 plays by 50 playwrights into a single day.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
1 May 2026
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The Halfday Convertible 2-in-1 Garment Duffel Bag will help avoid cramming extra clothes into your main bag, which usually leads to everything getting messy and disorganized.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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From truckers to commuters, gasoline prices are squeezing budgets across the country.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
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The university is scheduled to replace the turf in July, squeezing into a tight window of summer events.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Edgar Quero got hit by a pitch, loading the bases for Andrew Benintendi.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
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But there’s also an imbalance created with loading up that Cirelli line, which is that Point’s unit is far less dangerous.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Cook County medical examiner’s office found that the fatal shot pierced Rivera’s skin near her left armpit and traveled through both her lungs, wedging itself in her ribs, autopsy records show.—
Sam Charles,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
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Water flossers can help remove impacted food from around bridges and wires, places where wedging floss might be uncomfortable or difficult.—
Anne Ewbank,
Popular Science,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shoehorning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoehorning. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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