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
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 31 Mar. 2026
Made on a shoestring budget and expanded from a student film, director John Carpenter‘s feature debut imagines space travel as something closer to a dead-end job.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 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
This isn’t some random one-off, shoestring attempt fighting to be seen.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 31 Mar. 2026
Made on a shoestring budget and expanded from a student film, director John Carpenter‘s feature debut imagines space travel as something closer to a dead-end job.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 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
-
The Angels are paying hundreds of millions for a roster that cannot find home plate, while the rats are finding nacho cheese without spending a dime.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
This can feel thrilling and unconventional — one moment sparks could fly, and the other things could change on a dime.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The smart developers realized that trees — even small, spindly ones — could add curb appeal to the suburban 3/2 cinderblock home that was the standard of the day.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 Apr. 2026
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The young nymph is black with a red, upward-curving abdomen and lacks the wheel-like crest; they are sometimes confused with spiders because of their long, spindly legs.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Finally, dingy, discolored, or stringy towels need to get the heave-ho.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
24 Apr. 2026
-
And in 2026, USF researchers forecast another record for masses of the stringy stuff beaching in Florida.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
His 2025 tape, WOMB, embodied this through his pensive grumbles over wispy vocal chops; each bar that cut through the fog was steeped in sober gravitas.—
Olivier Lafontant,
Pitchfork,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Their hair was neatly cut, unlike the wispy tendrils our braids ended in.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
For those, trim away dead, damaged, or twiggy growth, and shape lightly if needed after blooming.—
Katherine Owen,
Southern Living,
20 Apr. 2026
-
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
-
The lanky right-hander hasn’t won since beating the Chicago White Sox 14-2 on Opening Day, a span of five starts.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The lanky right-hander hasn't won since beating the Chicago White Sox 14-2 on Opening Day, a span of five starts.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
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 2 May. 2026.
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