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

verb

1. (tr) to cram (people or things) into a very small space

Word History and Origins

Origin of shoehorn¹

First recorded in 1580–90; shoe + horn

Example Sentences

Israel was shoehorned into “whiteness” so it could be made a scapegoat.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It is no mean feat to shoehorn a half-millennium of social, political and economic tumult into a single volume.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

When he joined City in 2022, the club found a hybrid solution, where Haaland was shoehorned into an existing pattern of play.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Once the designers abandon their dream of shoehorning functionality into humanoid appearance, the result may actually be useful — for humans.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

We're cheating here by shoehorning two films into one entry, but the Wicked and Avatar sequels have a lot in common.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• embed 
• enter 
• fill in 
• imbed 
• implant 
• include 
• inject 
• introduce 
• stick