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

In space, Elio stumbles across adorable skeletons and shimmies through gacky pipes. —Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2025

After 81 minutes Almada found the back of the net for 10-men Argentina with a fantastic shimmy on the edge of the box and a shot across goal. —Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025

Verb

The men, ranging in age from 19 to 42, some wearing orange jail uniforms and others in long, white pants and T-shirts, each shimmied through the hole, some pausing to leave taunting messages on the wall. —Jon Schuppe, NBC news, 24 May 2025

Other hunters, shimmying up a stand of trees, dismantle nests that birds have built with the coveted cinnamon twig. —Walker Mimms, New York Times, 20 May 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