shoehorn

[ shoo-hawrn ]
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noun
  1. a shaped piece of horn, metal, or the like, inserted in the heel of a shoe to make it slip on more easily.

verb (used with object)
  1. to force into a limited or tight space: Can you shoehorn four of us into the back seat of your car?

Origin of shoehorn

1
First recorded in 1580–90; shoe + horn

Words Nearby shoehorn

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use shoehorn in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for shoehorn

shoehorn

/ (ˈʃuːˌhɔːn) /


noun
  1. a smooth curved implement of horn, metal, plastic, etc, inserted at the heel of a shoe to ease the foot into it

verb
  1. (tr) to cram (people or things) into a very small space

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012