Standard Lemma guide

shoehorn

noun · verb · 8 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈʃuːˌhɔːn/
  • General-American: /ˈʃuːˌhɔɹn/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: SH UW1 HH AO2 R N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A smooth tool that assists in putting the foot into a shoe, by sliding the heel in after the toe is in place.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Anything by which a transaction is facilitated; a medium.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: derogatory

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Anything which draws on or allures; an inducement.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To use a shoehorn.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: literally

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To force (something) into (a tight space); to squeeze (something) into (a schedule, etc); to exert great effort to insert or include (something); to include (something) despite potent reasons not to.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, transitive

Examples

  • I shoehorned his dozen burgeoning bags into the backseat of my tiny car, and off we went.
  • His staff want to shoehorn an extra stop into his already packed campaigning schedule.
  • 2012, The Economist, Oct 13th 2012 issue, Italian politics: Who will be Italy’s next prime minister? A member of Mr Monti’s government admitted that, barring a hung parliament, it was impossible for the moment to see how Mr Monti could be shoehorned into politics after next spring.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To force some current event into alignment with some (usually unconnected) agenda, especially when it is fallacious.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, transitive

Examples

  • People claiming to be psychic may shoehorn an event into fulfillment of some vague past prediction.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

a device used for easing the foot into a shoe

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: device

8

verb

Meaning 8

fit for a specific purpose even when not well suited

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: adapt, accommodate

History

Etymology

From shoe + horn.

Across languages

Translations

129 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: قَرْن (qarn) — tool used to assist the foot
  • Armenian: թիակ (tʻiak) — tool used to assist the foot
  • Azerbaijani: dabançəkən — tool used to assist the foot
  • Azerbaijani: dabangeydirən — tool used to assist the foot
  • Azerbaijani: dabankeş — tool used to assist the foot
  • Azerbaijani: pirəskən — tool used to assist the foot
  • Belarusian: ражо́к (ražók) — tool used to assist the foot
  • Bulgarian: обу́валка (obúvalka) — tool used to assist the foot
  • Catalan: calçador — tool used to assist the foot
  • Chinese Cantonese: 鞋拔子 (haai4 bat6 zi2) — tool used to assist the foot
  • Chinese Cantonese: 鞋拔 (haai4 bat6) — tool used to assist the foot
  • Chinese: 鞋拔 (ôe-poe̍h) — tool used to assist the foot
  • Chinese: 鞋拔仔 (ê-pe̍h-á) — tool used to assist the foot
  • Chinese Mandarin: 鞋拔子 (xiébázi) — tool used to assist the foot
  • Chinese Mandarin: 鞋拔 (xiébá) — tool used to assist the foot
  • Czech: lžíce na boty — tool used to assist the foot
  • Danish: skohorn — tool used to assist the foot
  • Dutch: schoenlepel — tool used to assist the foot
  • Dutch: schoenaantrekker — tool used to assist the foot
  • Dutch: schoentrekker — tool used to assist the foot
  • Dutch: schoenhoorn — tool used to assist the foot
  • Esperanto: ŝukorno — tool used to assist the foot
  • Faroese: skóhorn — tool used to assist the foot
  • Finnish: kenkälusikka — tool used to assist the foot
  • French: chausse-pied — tool used to assist the foot
  • Galician: calzador — tool used to assist the foot
  • Galician: calzadeiro — tool used to assist the foot
  • German: Schuhanzieher — tool used to assist the foot
  • German: Schuhlöffel — tool used to assist the foot
  • Greek: κόκαλο (kókalo) — tool used to assist the foot
  • Hebrew: כף נעליים (kaf na'alayim) — tool used to assist the foot
  • Hungarian: cipőhúzó — tool used to assist the foot
  • Hungarian: cipőkanál — tool used to assist the foot
  • Icelandic: skóhorn — tool used to assist the foot
  • Icelandic: skójárn — tool used to assist the foot
  • Ido: shumetilo — tool used to assist the foot
  • Irish: ladar bróige — tool used to assist the foot
  • Italian: calzascarpe — tool used to assist the foot
  • Italian: calzatoio — tool used to assist the foot
  • Italian: corno da scarpa — tool used to assist the foot
  • Italian: corno — tool used to assist the foot
  • Italian: calzante — tool used to assist the foot
  • Japanese: 靴べら (kutsubera) — tool used to assist the foot
  • Japanese: 靴箆 (kutsubera) — tool used to assist the foot
  • Kashubian: łëżka do bótów — tool used to assist the foot
  • Korean: 구둣주걱 (gudutjugeok) — tool used to assist the foot
  • Ladin: ciauzadoia — tool used to assist the foot
  • Latvian: apavu lāpstiņa — tool used to assist the foot
  • Lithuanian: šaukštas — tool used to assist the foot
  • Luxembourgish: Schongläffel — tool used to assist the foot
  • Macedonian: лажица (lažica) — tool used to assist the foot
  • Manx: eairk braagey — tool used to assist the foot
  • Nepali: बगलिस (bagalis) — tool used to assist the foot
  • Norwegian Bokmål: skohorn — tool used to assist the foot
  • Norwegian Bokmål: skojern — tool used to assist the foot
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: skohorn — tool used to assist the foot
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: skoskei — tool used to assist the foot
  • Persian: پاشنهکش — tool used to assist the foot
  • Polish: łyżka do butów — tool used to assist the foot
  • Portuguese: calçadeira — tool used to assist the foot
  • Romanian: încălțător de pantofi — tool used to assist the foot
  • Russian: ло́жка для о́буви (lóžka dlja óbuvi) — tool used to assist the foot
  • Russian: рожо́к (rožók) — tool used to assist the foot
  • Scottish Gaelic: spàin-bhròg — tool used to assist the foot
  • Serbo-Croatian: žlica za cipele — tool used to assist the foot
  • Serbo-Croatian: žlica za obuvanje — tool used to assist the foot
  • Sicilian: quasaturi — tool used to assist the foot
  • Sicilian: causaturi — tool used to assist the foot
  • Silesian: sebuwacz — tool used to assist the foot
  • Slovak: obuvák — tool used to assist the foot
  • Slovak: lyžica na obúvanie — tool used to assist the foot
  • Slovene: obuvalna žlica — tool used to assist the foot
  • Lower Sorbian: wobuwak — tool used to assist the foot
  • Spanish: calzador — tool used to assist the foot
  • Swedish: skohorn — tool used to assist the foot
  • Tagalog: kalsador — tool used to assist the foot
  • Tagalog: sapin sa paa — tool used to assist the foot
  • Tajik: пошнакаш (pošnakaš) — tool used to assist the foot
  • Thai: ที่ช้อนรองเท้า (têe chón rong táo) — tool used to assist the foot
  • Turkish: çekecek — tool used to assist the foot
  • Turkish: kerata — tool used to assist the foot
  • Ottoman Turkish: بوینوز (boynuz) — tool used to assist the foot
  • Ukrainian: ріжо́к (rižók) — tool used to assist the foot
  • Vietnamese: muỗng giày — tool used to assist the foot
  • Vietnamese: đón gót — tool used to assist the foot
  • Welsh: sesbin — tool used to assist the foot
  • Welsh: siasbi — tool used to assist the foot
  • Welsh: siesbin — tool used to assist the foot
  • Chinese Mandarin: 用鞋拔子 (yòng xiébázi) — to use a shoehorn
  • Dutch: een schoenlepel gebruiken — to use a shoehorn
  • Finnish: käyttää kenkälusikkaa — to use a shoehorn
  • German: ein Schuhlöffel benutzen — to use a shoehorn
  • Italian: calzare — to use a shoehorn
  • Polish: używać łyżki do butów — to use a shoehorn
  • Polish: użyć łyżki do butów — to use a shoehorn
  • Portuguese: calçar com calçadeira — to use a shoehorn
  • Russian: испо́льзовать рожо́к (ispólʹzovatʹ rožók) — to use a shoehorn
  • Spanish: calzar — to use a shoehorn
  • Swedish: tränga — to use a shoehorn
  • Swedish: knö — to use a shoehorn
  • Swedish: tvinga — to use a shoehorn
  • Swedish: klämma in — to use a shoehorn
  • Dutch: proppen — to exert great effort to insert or include something
  • Dutch: persen — to exert great effort to insert or include something
  • Finnish: tunkea — to exert great effort to insert or include something
  • French: forcer — to exert great effort to insert or include something
  • French: enfoncer — to exert great effort to insert or include something
  • German: hineinzwängen — to exert great effort to insert or include something
  • German: reinzwängen — to exert great effort to insert or include something
  • German: reinquetschen — to exert great effort to insert or include something
  • German: hineinquetschen — to exert great effort to insert or include something
  • Hungarian: beprésel — to exert great effort to insert or include something
  • Hungarian: bepasszíroz — to exert great effort to insert or include something
  • Hungarian: begyömöszöl — to exert great effort to insert or include something
  • Hungarian: beszuszakol — to exert great effort to insert or include something
  • Hungarian: bezsúfol — to exert great effort to insert or include something
  • Hungarian: beerőltet — to exert great effort to insert or include something
  • Italian: forzare — to exert great effort to insert or include something
  • Italian: spingere — to exert great effort to insert or include something
  • Polish: wciskać — to exert great effort to insert or include something
  • Polish: wcisnąć — to exert great effort to insert or include something
  • Portuguese: enfiar — to exert great effort to insert or include something
  • Portuguese: meter — to exert great effort to insert or include something
  • Portuguese: forçar — to exert great effort to insert or include something
  • Russian: вти́снуть (vtísnutʹ) — to exert great effort to insert or include something
  • Russian: впихну́ть (vpixnútʹ) — to exert great effort to insert or include something
  • Spanish: meter con calzador — to exert great effort to insert or include something
  • Spanish: introducir a la fuerza — to exert great effort to insert or include something
  • Spanish: insertar por fuerza — to exert great effort to insert or include something