jimmy

1 of 2

noun

jim·​my ˈji-mē How to pronounce jimmy (audio)
plural jimmies
: a short crowbar

jimmy

2 of 2

verb

jimmied; jimmying

transitive verb

: to force open with or as if with a jimmy
the burglar jimmied a window

Examples of jimmy in a Sentence

Noun The burglar used a jimmy to open the window. Verb let's try to jimmy the door lock with my credit card
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
And the whole home office thing worked for a while, but now the kids have figured out how to jimmy open the lock, and their new favorite activity is Zoom bombing. Sebastian Blanco, Car and Driver, 24 May 2020 These briny beauties taste of the sea in the best possible way; this is your chance to try them raw, stuffed, fried, frittered, in chowder, and on a stick dipped in chocolate and jimmies. BostonGlobe.com, 10 Oct. 2019 Decorate cookie with a mix of green nonpareils and jimmies around the outer edge to mimic a wreath. Nancy Stohs, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3 Dec. 2019 The high-yield bond market has the jimmy legs, and oil prices are down on weaker demand. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 15 Nov. 2018 The crispy pastry tube was overflowing with sweetened, whipped ricotta and dotted with chocolate jimmies. Suzanne Loudermilk, baltimoresun.com, 22 Sep. 2017
Verb
Enlarge / Infrared image of a person jimmying open a vehicle. Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 7 Apr. 2023 Their minds still flash back a month to the sound of the thud on the bathroom floor and to jimmying open the door with a butter knife. Marisa Gerber, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2020 Hopkins Commercial, the strip mall’s owner, secured them after the storm, but on Wednesday, police said they’d been jimmied open by copper-wire thieves and looters. Robert Wilonsky, Dallas News, 30 Jan. 2020 Part of that legend includes new seating that already had generated complaints — season ticket holders say they’re being asked to jimmy themselves into narrower space. Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 20 July 2019 Andre Stanton, 28, ripped off the door handle to the cruiser despite being handcuffed with his hands behind his back and jimmied the lock open, police reports say. Adam Ferrise, cleveland.com, 4 July 2019 On the video, according to the Key West police report, a man rides up to the bike rack on a tricycle, jimmies the lock and chain and then walk outs of view, only to return with a saw. Gwen Filosa, miamiherald, 17 May 2018 The thief or thieves busted out the driver's side window and jimmied the ignition to drive off with Harbour's possessions. Maureen C. Gilmer, Indianapolis Star, 28 Mar. 2018 And the Sabine material, jimmied into an art history class, feels for most of the play like footnotes. Jesse Green, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2017

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

from the name Jimmy

First Known Use

Noun

1848, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1893, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of jimmy was in 1848

Dictionary Entries Near jimmy

Cite this Entry

“Jimmy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jimmy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

jimmy

1 of 2 noun
jim·​my ˈjim-ē How to pronounce jimmy (audio)
plural jimmies
: a short crowbar used by burglars

jimmy

2 of 2 verb
jimmied; jimmying
: to force open with or as if with a jimmy

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