shimmy

noun shim·my \ ˈshi-mē \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Examples: shimmy in a Sentence

Definition of shimmy

plural shimmies

[by alteration]

: chemise

[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

Recent Examples of shimmy from the Web

Their unabashed celebrating prompted a retaliation shimmy from Chris Paul.

— ben golliver, SI.com, "Warriors' Greatness May Annoy Some but They Aren't Going Anywhere," 9 June 2018
Other voices mock his ubiquity, his celebration shimmy and his habit of playing with his mouth guard.

— christopher dinsmore, baltimoresun.com, "Under Armour releases new ad celebrating Stephen Curry and his critics," 9 June 2018
Curry's shimmy during Game 3 quickly became a fan favorite.

— jenna west, SI.com, "Watch: Chris Paul Shimmies in Stephen Curry's Face After Hitting a Three," 24 May 2018
Steph Curry got his groove — and his shimmy — back in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals on Sunday with a 35-point outburst.

— charles curtis, For The Win, "Riley Curry, like her dad Steph, had the best Game 3," 21 May 2018
Elsa Hosk ushers us into her sunlit Soho loft and shimmies into a pair of light peach J Brand jeans.

— monica kim, Vogue, "Elsa Hosk on Shopping Spring’s Best Denim Trend," 15 May 2018
Wig Out!’’ cast poses, shimmies, and struts upon it in bravura style while attired in Tyler Kinney’s knockout costumes.

— don aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, "The runway is ablaze, but ‘Wig Out!’ skims its glittering surface," 1 May 2018
Sight is as important in this case as sound and Stephanaya has got the strut and the shimmy down perfectly.

— mel shields, sacbee, "She's got Tina Turner's strut and shimmy down pat | The Sacramento Bee," 27 Apr. 2018
Meanwhile, people of all ages came out to watch legend Tanya Tucker shimmy on stage.

— anna moeslein, Glamour, "The 31 Best Songs to Download From Stagecoach Music Festival 2018," 29 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shimmy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of shimmy

1837

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Dance Terms

attitude, honor, saltatory, sashay, taw

shimmy

verb

Definition of shimmy

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

See shimmy defined for English-language learners

Examples of shimmy in a Sentence

They were shimmying on the dance floor.
I shimmied into my jacket.
One of the car's wheels was shimmying.

Recent Examples of shimmy from the Web

Peterson shimmies out of jail for a final time, but no one feels too triumphant.

— rachel syme, The New Republic, "How The Staircase Defined True Crime Series," 11 June 2018
Your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy Chris Paul shimmied in Stephen Curry's face and danced in James Harden's while the Toyota Center crowd sang to Kiss.

— jonathan feigen, Houston Chronicle, "Chris Paul, defense carry Rockets over Warriors, to 3-2 series lead," 25 May 2018
Hiddleswift is born during a dance-off in 2016 The very first sign of Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston’s summer romance happened at the 2016 Met Gala, where the pair was captured on camera flirtatiously shimmying at the Temple of Dendur.

— Vogue, "The Craziest Celebrity Moments in Met Gala History," 2 May 2018
Tucker stretched his arms wide around the trunk and shimmied around it.

— ted gregory, chicagotribune.com, "Just in time for Arbor Day, new preserve lays claim to Illinois' biggest tree," 27 Apr. 2018
Outside the Municipal Services Building, a man shimmied to the top of a light pole, enjoyed adoring screams from the crowd, jumped down and promptly got into a shouting match with an elderly man.

— aubrey whelan, Philly.com, "Eagles Super Bowl parade: A celebration for the ages," 8 Feb. 2018
Eventually, the younger version of Vida (Rocío López), in high-waisted shorts and a tied top, comes shimmying to life to show her daughters how to do the cumbia, a traditional Latinx dance.

— refinery29.com, "Latinx Moms Are Giving Us TV’s Best Portrayals Of Motherhood," 11 May 2018
At the event, a large group of the girls' fathers brought the house down with a surprise act, complete with tumbling, forward rolls, jumps, shimmying and stunts.

— janine puhak, Fox News, "Deployed military unit surprises soldier’s daughter with cheer routine," 3 May 2018
Meanwhile, his partner, Hakim McPhee, who had on layered hooded sweatshirts, removed a new mailbox from the truck and shimmied it to the curb.

— rachel aviv, The New Yorker, "The “Cadillac of Mailboxes” Arrives in N.Y.C.," 30 Apr. 2018