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
Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 6 May 2025
However, their shindig is turned upside down with the appearance of Irish vampire Remmick (Jack O’Connell) who attacks the partygoers, turning them into new bloodsuckers and adding to his army.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 20 Apr. 2025
Al Nassr may not have won the Saudi Pro League for six years — and are currently 10 points behind this season’s leaders Al Ittihad — and have never won the Asian Champions League, but FIFA don’t need any excuse to crowbar Cristiano Ronaldo into this shindig.
—Tim Spiers, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
Richards regularly stopped by, often staying for days at a time after Jagger’s no-doubt epic shindigs that reportedly saw the likes of Princess Margaret as well.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shindig
Cite this Entry
“Shindig.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shindig. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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shindig
noun
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