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
The Athletic Uk Staff, The Athletic, 12 July 2024
The singer walked into the audience and danced alongside Swift and Post Malone before approaching Cabello for a little Cuban-Colombian shimmy.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2024
Kevin Kurz, The Athletic, 28 Dec. 2024
Resort staff then climbed up lift towers and shimmied along the ropes to reach each gondola car, KUSA reported.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 23 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for shimmy 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
In the example below, Kane shimmies towards Jude Bellingham on the ball (white arrow) despite a gap opening up between Virgil van Dijk and Nathan Ake (black arrow/area).
—The Athletic Uk Staff, The Athletic, 12 July 2024
The singer walked into the audience and danced alongside Swift and Post Malone before approaching Cabello for a little Cuban-Colombian shimmy.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2024
Verb
After another lengthy stretch in the offensive zone, Brink shimmied behind the net and spotted Cates in the slot.
—Kevin Kurz, The Athletic, 28 Dec. 2024
Resort staff then climbed up lift towers and shimmied along the ropes to reach each gondola car, KUSA reported.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 23 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for shimmy
Dictionary Entries Near shimmy
Cite this Entry
“Shimmy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shimmy. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share