shoestring

[ shoo-string ]
/ ˈʃuˌstrɪŋ /
SEE 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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Origin of shoestring

First recorded in 1610–20; shoe + string

Words nearby shoestring

shoemaker, shoemaker-levy 9, shoepac, shoer, shoeshine, shoestring, shoestring catch, shoestring potatoes, shoestring root rot, shoestring tackle, shoetree
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to shoestring

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

British Dictionary definitions for shoestring

shoestring
/ (ˈʃuːˌstrɪŋ) /

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.