threadbare

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

European allies might join the U.S. in defending the Strait, but their navies are already threadbare.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

"The farmers are the poorest people in Ivory Coast," he added, showing his threadbare clothes.

From Barron's • Jan. 26, 2026

Her attorney, Abbe Lowell, dismissed the referral as “three pages of stale, threadbare allegations.”

From Salon • Sep. 17, 2025

The biggest challenge facing Everton this summer was how best to overhaul a threadbare squad following the departure of nine senior players, including first-team regulars Abdoulaye Doucoure, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jack Harrison and Ashley Young.

From BBC • Sep. 11, 2025

The satin lapels of the tuxedo were threadbare but who would look at that when the suit fitted him so beautifully and the crease in his trousers was so perfect?

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith