shoeshine
Americannoun
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an act or instance of cleaning and polishing a pair of shoes.
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the surface of a polished shoe or shoes.
noun
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the act or an instance of polishing a pair of shoes
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the appearance or shiny surface of polished shoes
Etymology
Origin of shoeshine
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
What’s your shoeshine boy story, or one someone told you about?
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
“When the shoeshine boys have tips, the stock market is too popular for its own good,” said Kennedy, who sold short and made a fortune, giving rise to an American political dynasty.
From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026
The performance charted Lula's path from poverty as a shoeshine boy to eventually reaching the highest post in the country.
From BBC • Feb. 18, 2026
Joe Kennedy famously said it was time to get out of the market when the shoeshine boy started giving stock tips; Michael Burry was worried about strippers and strawberry pickers with investment properties.
From Slate • Aug. 8, 2025
The shoeshine customers, and any from the inside rest room who took a towel, you whiskbroomed a couple of licks.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
