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

Each shimmy of his hips drew shrieks from female fans. —Brian McCollum, Freep.com, 15 Aug. 2025

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

Verb

Carpenter slid across the floor with gusto, singing and shimmying her way through the set alongside queens Symone, Denali, Lexi Love and more. —Thania Garcia, Variety, 8 Sep. 2025

Climbers have reported shimmying past the frozen remains of food containers, oxygen tanks, beer cans, and plenty of ice-cold human excrement. —Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 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