Phrase guide

on a shoestring

prep_phrase · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

prep_phrase

Meaning 1

On a very tight budget; with few resources or little money.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • The first year after we bought the house, we lived on a shoestring, but we survived.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

7 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: vähin varoin — on a very tight budget
  • French: avec des bouts de ficelle — on a very tight budget
  • Hungarian: fillérekből — on a very tight budget
  • Hungarian: kis költségvetésből — on a very tight budget
  • Italian: fare le nozze coi fichi secchi — on a very tight budget
  • Polish: budżetowo — on a very tight budget
  • Russian: на мели́ (na melí) — on a very tight budget