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definitions

shoestring

[shoo-string]
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR shoestring ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a shoelace.
a very small amount of money.
shoestrings. shoestring potatoes.

adjective

consisting of or characterized by a small amount of money: living on a shoestring budget.

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RELATED WORDS

slight, faint, weak, tiny, gentle, mild, thin, sparse, moderate, soft, casual, lesser, narrow-minded, frivolous, minor, worthless, insignificant, irrelevant, immaterial, meaningless

Nearby words

  1. shoemaker,
  2. shoemaker-levy 9,
  3. shoepac,
  4. shoer,
  5. shoeshine,
  6. shoestring catch,
  7. shoestring potatoes,
  8. shoestring root rot,
  9. shoestring tackle,
  10. shoetree

Origin of shoestring

First recorded in 1610–20; shoe + string
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for shoestring

shoestring

noun

another word for shoelace
informal
  1. a very small or petty amount of money (esp in the phrase on a shoestring)
  2. (as modifier)a shoestring budget
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
Idioms and Phrases with shoestring

shoestring

see on a shoestring.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.