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

In trying to prevent the goal, Joe Gomez picked up an injury to further deplete Liverpool's already threadbare options at centre-back.

From Barron's • Jan. 24, 2026

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

From Salon • Sep. 17, 2025

He was being used as an emergency striker with Isak an outcast, so how can Howe contemplate a sale when resources are now so threadbare?

From BBC • Aug. 25, 2025

The moss under my scuffed boots glitters with dew, and there is a threadbare carpet of golden leaves beneath the sycamore tree.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish