shimmy

1 of 2

noun

shim·​my ˈshi-mē How to pronounce shimmy (audio)
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
The clip closed with what might be Kate’s most deliberate shimmy of all. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 20 Nov. 2023 Children and adults alike wave rally flags, smack thunder sticks together and dance along to pulsing music as the Liberty’s mascot, Ellie the Elephant, twerks and shimmies around the court. Claire Fahy, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2023 Anderson calls a timeout and shimmies into the luggage hold to defrost the Labatt Blue. BostonGlobe.com, 24 July 2023 Although the dancers in the ensemble moved in unison, their performance was personalized and established a character arc for each performer within the cheeky choreography — shimmies and all. Steven Vargas, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2023 The exuberance and confidence informed her array of disarming moves — pop-and-lock combinations, aggressive shimmies, shoulder rolls, rump shakes, move-outta-the-way prances — usually executed in choreographed routines with her dance squad. Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 23 July 2023 A couple holding cocktails by the bar shimmy; two women heading for the restrooms are compelled to dance their way through the crowd. Sophia Solano, Washington Post, 1 June 2023 He was greeted in the locker room with a celebration spray and broke out in a handroll and a few shimmies. 2022 Sweet 16 berth After beating No. 2 Auburn in the second round of the 2022 tournament, Miami was headed back to the Sweet 16. Victoria Hernandez, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2023 Sporting dramatic makeup and a short, purple-ish updo, Ursula whips around her tentacles and shimmies through the sea alongside her sidekicks Flotsam and Jetsam while belting the evil anthem. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 26 Apr. 2023
Verb
The shimmying sea witch was brought to life in the 2023 live-action remake of The Little Mermaid by Melissa McCarthy. Marc Bernardin, EW.com, 11 Mar. 2024 Fans shimmied their way to theaters in October, buying out custom cups and popcorn tins, dancing in front and behind the rows of seats and singing through her almost three-hour, edited concert set at the top of their lungs. USA TODAY, 5 Jan. 2024 Everyone was shimmying their shoulders, but no one quite as fast as Aïcha. Yacouba Lido, Washington Post, 1 Jan. 2024 Mowry could be seen bopping her head back and forth, shimmying her hips and even adding a few snaps. Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 20 Jan. 2024 In the clip, Theron and her daughters can be seen shimmying in unison and eventually doing the Sprinkler with big smiles on their faces. Lauren Huff, EW.com, 9 Aug. 2023 The team adjusted to Zagallo’s tactical alterations and then danced and shimmied its way into the hearts and minds of fans not only in Brazil but around the globe. Andrew Das, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2024 Besides the febrile seizures, Hayden had been a healthy 17-month-old, always ready to dance in that intuitive toddler way, shimmying, wiggling, whether his parents had put on Radiohead or Justin Timberlake. Eric Boodman, STAT, 4 Jan. 2024 In a nearby liquor store, bottles shimmied off their shelves and smashed to the floor. David L. Stern, Washington Post, 2 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shimmy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1919, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of shimmy was in 1837

Dictionary Entries Near shimmy

Cite this Entry

“Shimmy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shimmy. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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