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View synonyms for shoehorn

shoehorn

[ shoo-hawrn ]

noun

  1. a shaped piece of horn, metal, or the like, inserted in the heel of a shoe to make it slip on more easily.


verb (used with object)

  1. to force into a limited or tight space:

    Can you shoehorn four of us into the back seat of your car?

shoehorn

/ ˈʃuːˌhɔːn /

noun

  1. a smooth curved implement of horn, metal, plastic, etc, inserted at the heel of a shoe to ease the foot into it
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


verb

  1. tr to cram (people or things) into a very small space
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of shoehorn1

First recorded in 1580–90; shoe + horn
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Example Sentences

Even adults like to shoehorn their bottoms into a malleable rubber swing and take a ride down memory lane.

It might difficult, however, to shoehorn Mourdock into the role of Tea Party wacko.

She is likely to shoehorn her pain into lugubrious scenarios that are perfect for country-music videos.

To dig up de profundis a shoehorn that you need is a more remarkable achievement than to unearth a new Pompeii.

He had a shaven cranium, and his tight scalp might have been slipped over the bony bosses of his head with a shoehorn.

Do you know that some mornings he has to get his hat on with a shoehorn.

He certainly has arrived at what a witty American friend of mine would call the "Shoehorn stage."

He cant find a shoehorn with which to get into his breeches.

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