idiom (prepositional phrase) · neutral
on a shoestring
UK/ɒn ə ˈʃuːstrɪŋ/US/ɑn ə ˈʃuːstrɪŋ/ON A SHOES·TRING
with very little money; cheaply
Examples
“They launched the festival on a shoestring and it gradually grew.”
“We travelled across Europe on a shoestring when we were students.”
“The charity operates on a shoestring budget but still helps thousands.”
Band 8 sentence
“Although they were operating on a shoestring, the research team published influential findings within a year.”
Collocations
- travel on a shoestring
- run on a shoestring budget
Word family
Common mistakes
on a shoe string→on a shoestring
in a shoestring budget→on a shoestring budget
Say it for a higher band
5cheap→6on a tight budget→7+on a shoestring
Synonyms
on a tight budget
Easily confused
on a tight budget
“For the project to succeed on a tight budget, careful planning was essential.”
Related words
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