shoestring

[ shoo-string ]

noun

1. a shoelace.
2. a very small amount of money.
3. shoestrings. shoestring potatoes.

adjective

1. consisting of or characterized by a small amount of money:

   living on a shoestring budget.

shoestring

/ ˈʃuːˌstrɪŋ /

noun

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

      a shoestring budget

Word History and Origins

Origin of shoestring¹

First recorded in 1610–20; shoe + string

Idioms and Phrases

see on a shoestring .

Example Sentences

Nix stepped out of a shoestring tackle late in the fourth quarter while scrambling for 21 yards to set up the Broncos’ last field-goal attempt.

From Los Angeles Times

He said Northern Ireland was operating on a "shoestring budget" compared to the annual arts budget in the Republic of Ireland.

From BBC

Last week the Wall Street Journal reported that the “shoestring” operation had been privately funded but overseen from Ukraine.

From BBC

She said she is grateful for the work of all the reporters laboring on a shoestring to bring news to her city.

From Los Angeles Times

Compounding the issue, the dreary shoestring sets fail to conjure the literary ambience that Isaac is fighting a rearguard action to preserve.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• frivolous
• immaterial
• inconsequential
• insignificant
• irrelevant
• meaningless
• negligible
• null
• trivial
• unnecessary
• useless
• worthless