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strings attached

Idioms  

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.

From turf to surf: Red Lobster’s Endless Shrimp is back—with a few strings attached.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

That money often comes with strings attached; about half of employees might have a vesting schedule where you can only keep the funds if you stay with the company for a certain amount of time.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

The Pentagon wants Anthropic to hand over its A.I. with no strings attached.

From Slate • Feb. 27, 2026

And the funding comes with some strings attached.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2025

Aru didn’t think it was fair that only her magical item came with strings attached, but it wasn’t like she was in a position to refuse it.

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi