as in dime
a very small sum of money
trying to start a business on a shoestring
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in spindly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shoestring
Pamela McElwee, The Conversation, 28 Apr. 2025
Not that there’s anything remotely extravagant about a schlock programmer whose amateurish acting and sparse production values betray its shoestring budget.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
Jennifer Epstein, Bloomberg.com, 7 May 2020
In Greater Cincinnati, a mighty, mostly volunteer needle-exchange effort on a shoestring budget started in 2014.
—Terry Demio, USA TODAY, 15 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for shoestring
Noun
Only a handful of ecosystem restoration projects were attempted, hampered by shoestring budgets.
—Pamela McElwee, The Conversation, 28 Apr. 2025
Not that there’s anything remotely extravagant about a schlock programmer whose amateurish acting and sparse production values betray its shoestring budget.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
In 2016, the Trump campaign relied on stadium rallies, TV appearances and social media to compensate for its shoestring budget and thin staffing.
—Jennifer Epstein, Bloomberg.com, 7 May 2020
In Greater Cincinnati, a mighty, mostly volunteer needle-exchange effort on a shoestring budget started in 2014.
—Terry Demio, USA TODAY, 15 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for shoestring
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoestring
Noun
-
But a friend prompted him to enter a Qualifier on his friend's dime.—
Kendall Capps,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 May 2025
-
Moore was a dime defender at times for the 49ers and Sigle could play there, too.—
Matt Barrows,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
The spindly 6-0, 170-pounder made big strides each season after that.—
Bruce Feldman,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
-
Keep in mind, in the world of asparagus, thin and spindly is not always better than thick and chunky.—
Catharine Kaufman,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 May 2025
Adjective
-
More specifically, fuzzballs and stringy supermazes have emerged as a way to solve a puzzle called the black hole information paradox.—
Clara Moskowitz,
Scientific American,
7 Apr. 2025
-
Their pads look deflated compared to the life rafts strapped to goalies today, the ones that make stringy 6-foot-4 bean poles look like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The long, lanky cornerback spent four years with Monmouth, playing in 37 games.—
Mike Kaye,
Charlotte Observer,
29 May 2025
-
Jesus and Mahavira: lanky, lugubrious men, asking me to choose between them.—
Tishani Doshi,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
Adjective
-
Just who was this willowy blond from Iowa City, Iowa?—
Gia Kourlas,
New York Times,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Only two bodies remain still: Ferran’s, in one corner of the platform, and that of a young man (Jabez Sykes) diagonally across from her, tall and willowy and pale — two statues that seem moonlit while the rest of the world writhes and sweats around them.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
And Topo Gigio had a very distinctive voice, high and reedy.—
Dan Shanoff,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
-
In 2016, after a reedy Canadian professor named Jordan Peterson refused to use gender-neutral pronouns, he was taken up as a folk hero, like Galileo standing firm against the Inquisition.—
Andrew Marantz,
The New Yorker,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The 10-member group has been tasked with providing recommendations to the council on ways to relieve the city’s tight housing market.—
Grace Hurt,
Arkansas Online,
22 May 2025
-
So, it's designed to access tight gaps and under low furniture.—
Brenda Stolyar,
Wired News,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
The rangy Eintracht Frankfurt striker Ekitike will be one of the targets for Europe’s top teams this summer, and Liverpool has thrown its hat into the ring along with fellow Premier League side Chelsea as one of the teams interested.—
James Nalton,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
-
The rangier types can be cut back each year to maintain an attractive form.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
28 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shoestring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoestring. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share