shimmy

1 of 2

noun

shim·​my ˈshi-mē 

plural shimmies

1

[by alteration] : chemise

2

[short for shimmy-shake] : a jazz dance characterized by a shaking of the body from the shoulders down

3

: an abnormal vibration especially in the front wheels of a motor vehicle

shimmy

2 of 2

verb

shimmied; shimmying

intransitive verb

1

: to shake, quiver, or tremble in or as if in dancing a shimmy

2

: to vibrate abnormally

—used especially of automobiles

3

: shinny

Examples of shimmy in a Sentence

Verb

They were shimmying on the dance floor.

I shimmied into my jacket.

One of the car's wheels was shimmying.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Instead of rolling up and down in a boring straight line, Eufy shimmies! —David McGrath, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2025

In space, Elio stumbles across adorable skeletons and shimmies through gacky pipes. —Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2025

Verb

Cantore is skilled enough to shimmy away from their challenges… …initiate a one-two with Manuela Giugliano… …and get onto the return pass. —Michael Cox, New York Times, 27 July 2025

And while not as much of a crazed scene as the 2019 event, where a menagerie of Dem candidates vied for stage-time as the partiers shimmied shoulder to shoulder, Friday night's event was still high-energy. —Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 31 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1919, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for shimmy

• gimme
• jimmy
• synonymy