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
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
Young sheepishly downplayed the shimmy.
—Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY, 24 June 2021
Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Oct. 2023
Danilo Cavalcante, facing life in prison for murder, had shimmied his way out of the Chester County jail Aug. 31 and was on the run in exurbs of eastern Pennsylvania.
—Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Sep. 2023
Siriano and Sia hugged and shimmied together when the designer came out for a victory lap after the final model left the catwalk, and the crowd gave him a thunderous standing ovation.
—Anika Reed
usa Today, USA TODAY, 9 Sep. 2023
Its Tiffany blue hue was ideal and ethereal texture ideal for shimmying ‘til dawn.
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 26 Aug. 2023
Paca frequently says, shimmying his giant shoulder pads and blowing smoke out of his glossy lips.
—Edgar Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2023
The scale of the works often suggests microscopic life, but some of the shimmering, shimmying forms could just as easily be galactic.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2023
Still, the propeller plane went down, and the advertising banner chased it, and the beach grass shimmied, and chocolate milk flew from my mother’s thermos.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 2 June 2023
On Tuesday, Rodgers sang with fierce intensity, danced Tina’s trademark shimmying steps to perfection and credibly matured from gawky teen to suicidal abuse victim to confident and no-nonsense superstar.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 July 2023
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Noun
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
Young sheepishly downplayed the shimmy.
—Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY, 24 June 2021
Verb
But the auroras on Mars can shimmy close to the equator, since no planetary field confines them.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Oct. 2023
Danilo Cavalcante, facing life in prison for murder, had shimmied his way out of the Chester County jail Aug. 31 and was on the run in exurbs of eastern Pennsylvania.
—Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Sep. 2023
Siriano and Sia hugged and shimmied together when the designer came out for a victory lap after the final model left the catwalk, and the crowd gave him a thunderous standing ovation.
—Anika Reed
usa Today, USA TODAY, 9 Sep. 2023
Its Tiffany blue hue was ideal and ethereal texture ideal for shimmying ‘til dawn.
—Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 26 Aug. 2023
Paca frequently says, shimmying his giant shoulder pads and blowing smoke out of his glossy lips.
—Edgar Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2023
The scale of the works often suggests microscopic life, but some of the shimmering, shimmying forms could just as easily be galactic.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 18 Aug. 2023
Still, the propeller plane went down, and the advertising banner chased it, and the beach grass shimmied, and chocolate milk flew from my mother’s thermos.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 2 June 2023
On Tuesday, Rodgers sang with fierce intensity, danced Tina’s trademark shimmying steps to perfection and credibly matured from gawky teen to suicidal abuse victim to confident and no-nonsense superstar.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 July 2023
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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.
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Cite this Entry
“Shimmy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shimmy. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
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