shoehorned

past tense of shoehorn
as in crammed
to fit (people or things) into a tight space the organizers of the county fair shoehorned the craft booths between the midway and the farm exhibits

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shoehorned While the non-prerecorded vocals were appreciated, his ballad felt oddly shoehorned into what was otherwise a vigorous, energetic halftime. — Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 19 July 2026 Too often, modern technologies, like inter-device connectivity and artificial intelligence, are shoehorned into gadgets that would be more intuitive to use, affordable, accessible, and/or durable without them. — ArsTechnica, 18 May 2026 Learning cannot be condensed into an accelerated course, shoehorned into a semester calendar, rushed and prodded along. — Peter Wayne Moe, Longreads, 26 Mar. 2026 Since then, these standalone console titles have mostly disappeared, been shoehorned into an Ultimate Team mode or moved to mobile. — Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 14 Mar. 2026 That bill was watered down, however, and eventually got shoehorned into the one that passed Friday. — Kristi Swartz, AJC.com, 7 Mar. 2026 Kevin isn’t any more random or inexplicably shoehorned into the story than Irene or Glem. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 20 Feb. 2026 In Short’s case, the flattening is particularly egregious, because the inchoate facts of her life are shoehorned into the obsessions of amateur sleuths who continue to get those facts wrong. — Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026 Williams is being shoehorned into a rotation that’s suddenly getting more crowded, providing coach Charles Lee with a good problem in the health department for once. — Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoehorned
Verb
  • Sixers fans that crammed aisles and stairways trying to catch a first glimpse or a snapshot of James were shooed back to their seats.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Multiple artists crammed into a food truck-sized trailer serve a revolving door of clients throughout the four-day festival.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • But the Chiefs gave it right back when Walker was stuffed on a fourth-down attempt at midfield.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Jadeveon Clowney stuffed Williams for a loss of 3 on first down and the Cowboys couldn't move the ball after that to bring up fourth down.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Producers are already being squeezed between competing supply chains.
    — MATIAS SPEKTOR, Foreign Affairs, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Brands are making more on paper and keeping less in the bank, squeezed from every side by rising ad costs, tariffs and overhead.
    — David Born, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Shoehorned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoehorned. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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