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.

Poor countries that don’t have reserves to draw on and are on the sidelines of the AI boom are already struggling, with shortages closing factories and high import prices for energy straining threadbare government budgets.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026

The transfer will be a huge boost to Glasner, who said his threadbare side were in "survival mode" following Thursday's 1-1 draw with Fulham.

From Barron's • Jan. 2, 2026

Years of squeezed spending in some areas leaving some parts of the public services threadbare.

From BBC • Nov. 22, 2025

Lately, it seems, the risk-averse screenwriting rules of what-should-happen-by-which-page that have steered Hollywood movies for far too long are feeling especially threadbare.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 12, 2025

I put my hand in my pocket and felt the crackle of thick paper seventy years old, and the new key weighing heavy in the seam of the threadbare woven wool.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein