Shoestring
//ˈʃuːstɹɪŋ// adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The string or lace used to secure a shoe to the foot; a shoelace. US
"Your shoestring is untied."
- 2 a lace used for fastening shoes wordnet
- 3 An object that is long and thin, like a shoestring (sense 1). attributive, figuratively, often
- 4 a small amount of money wordnet
- 5 An object that is long and thin, like a shoestring (sense 1).; A long, narrow cut of a food; a julienne. attributive, figuratively, often
"shoestring French fries"
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- 6 Chiefly in on a shoestring: very little money; a tight budget. attributive, figuratively, often
"He was able to organize the event on a shoestring."
Verb
- 1 To tackle (a player) using a shoestring tackle (“one made near the ground, close to a player's shoes”). transitive
- 2 To catch (a ball) using a shoestring catch (“one made near the ground, close to a player's shoes”). transitive
"We didn't score in our half of the eighth, but it was only because Ernie's line drive was shoestringed by the Giant left fielder, with Rusty Howarth on second."
Adjective
- 1 Of a catch or tackle: made near the ground, close to a player's shoes. US, not-comparable
Example
More examples"John had to get along on a shoestring."
Etymology
The noun is derived from shoe + string. The adjective is derived from the noun, while the verb is derived from terms such as shoestring catch and shoestring tackle.
Related phrases
More for "shoestring"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.