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
shimmied; shimmying
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
Bryan West, USA Today, 5 Oct. 2025
Dressed in a black hat, black bell-bottoms, and a jacket with turquoise accents, the Louisiana country singer gave a soulful, twangy reading of the riverboat tale, effortlessly commanding the crowd with just a few shimmies and finger points.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025
Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
The raccoon took the hint, shimmied down the rope and lumbered onto a ladder before making a less-than-graceful landing on the porch below.
—Ronnie Li, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shimmy
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.
Noun
Album artwork ends the video Swift shimmies onto a cart.
—Bryan West, USA Today, 5 Oct. 2025
Dressed in a black hat, black bell-bottoms, and a jacket with turquoise accents, the Louisiana country singer gave a soulful, twangy reading of the riverboat tale, effortlessly commanding the crowd with just a few shimmies and finger points.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
Kris later appears in the music video dancing and shimmying away to the song while wearing her famous bright green sequin dress with a white shirt underneath and a black tie.
—Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
The raccoon took the hint, shimmied down the rope and lumbered onto a ladder before making a less-than-graceful landing on the porch below.
—Ronnie Li, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shimmy
Cite this Entry
“Shimmy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shimmy. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share