shoe-leather

adjective

shoe-leath·​er ˈshü-ˌle-t͟hər How to pronounce shoe-leather (audio)
: involving or using basic, direct, or old-fashioned methods
shoe-leather journalism

Examples of shoe-leather in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
These projects often cross the line from cookbook to ethnography, buoyed by shoe-leather reporting overseas. — Jamie Feldmar, Saveur, 15 Apr. 2026 Our list of Americans detained was assembled through shoe-leather reporting. — Stephen Engelberg, ProPublica, 6 Dec. 2025 But her strongest assets were her human instincts, her news judgment, her skilled interviewing techniques and shoe-leather reporting. — Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 July 2026 Barragán took an old-school shoe-leather approach to a very online subject, flying to Lagos to embed himself with a group of young, desperate grifters. — Carlos Barragán, Wired News, 1 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for shoe-leather

Word History

First Known Use

1951, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of shoe-leather was in 1951

Rhymes for shoe-leather

See All Rhymes for shoe-leather

Browse Nearby Words

shoelace
shoe-leather
shoeless
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shoe-leather.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shoe-leather. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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