shoestring

C2 Topic:Word Formation & Derivatives

US /ˈʃuːstrɪŋ/ UK /ˈʃuːstrɪŋ/ See IPA manual

Freq #56513

Meanings

1

noun
a cord or lace used to fasten a shoe

He stopped to retie a loose shoestring before climbing the steps.
2

noun
a very small or inadequate amount of money available for a purpose

The students organized the exhibition on a shoestring.
3

adj
operating with or requiring very little money

A shoestring campaign relied on volunteers and borrowed equipment.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a cord or lace used to... shoelaceshoe string

2 noun · a very small or inadequate... small budgetlimited funds

3 adj · operating with or requiring... low-budgetinexpensive economical

Opposites

large budgetample funds

Word family

Forms shoestrings

Derived forms shoestringer

Related forms lace budget economize

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

shoestring catch
a baseball catch made while running, just above the ground

Noun + noun

Idioms (1)

See all

on a shoestring
With very little money or an extremely limited budget.

Etymology

A compound of shoe + string. The literal fastening is recorded from the seventeenth century. The financial sense probably compares a tiny sum with the narrowness or slightness of a shoestring; on a shoestring and shoestring budget became established expressions for operating with very little money.

Topics

Word Formation & Derivatives General Vocabulary

External links

# shoestring

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈʃuːstrɪŋ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈʃuːstrɪŋ/
**Frequency rank:** 56513

## Meanings
1. a cord or lace used to fasten a shoe
2. a very small or inadequate amount of money available for a purpose
3. operating with or requiring very little money

## Examples
- He stopped to retie a loose shoestring before climbing the steps.
- The students organized the exhibition on a shoestring.
- A shoestring campaign relied on volunteers and borrowed equipment.

## Synonyms
- shoelace
- shoe string
- small budget
- limited funds

## Antonyms
- large budget
- ample funds

## Derived Forms
- shoestringer

## Related Forms
- lace
- budget
- economize

## Etymology
A compound of shoe + string. The literal fastening is recorded from the seventeenth century. The financial sense probably compares a tiny sum with the narrowness or slightness of a shoestring; on a shoestring and shoestring budget became established expressions for operating with very little money.

## Topics
- Word Formation & Derivatives
- General Vocabulary

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