shindig
noun
Did you know?
At a glance, shindig appears to combine shin and dig, and thus might seem to suggest a painful kick to the leg—especially when you know that one of the first senses of shindig in English refers to a gathering at which people dance. It is more likely, however, that shindig is an alteration of shindy, which is itself the alteration of another word, shinny, used of a variation of hockey that is played with a curved stick and a ball or block of wood. It's not entirely clear how the game of shinny gave shindy its first meaning (the "social gathering with dancing" meaning that is also the original meaning of shindig) but shinny remains the most likely origin.
Examples of shindig in a Sentence
Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 5 Mar. 2026
The in-demand event planner and lifestyle expert, who’s put on shindigs for celebs like Elton John, Jennifer Lopez, and Matthew McConaughey, has put his own spin on the seven-bedroom manse, evident in touches like a bedroom with textured gold wallpaper and a floral-print laundry room.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 4 Mar. 2026
Apparently these White House shindigs are fluid.
—Kevin Sherrington
feb. 27, Dallas Morning News, 27 Feb. 2026
The business of sports is on full display in Davos, Switzerland, where the World Economic Forum’s annual shindig for bigwigs kicked off earlier this week.
—Scott Soshnick, Sportico.com, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shindig
Cite this Entry
“Shindig.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shindig. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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shindig
noun
