shim

American  

[shim] / ʃɪm /

noun

1. a thin slip or wedge of metal, wood, etc., for driving into crevices, as between machine parts to compensate for wear, or beneath bedplates, large stones, etc., to level them.

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verb (used with object)

shimmed, shimming

1. to fill out or bring to a level by inserting a shim or shims.

shim British  

/ ʃɪm /

noun

1. a thin packing strip or washer often used with a number of similar washers or strips to adjust a clearance for gears, etc

2. physics a thin strip of magnetic material, such as soft iron, used to adjust a magnetic field

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verb

1. (tr) to modify a load, clearance, or magnetic field by the use of shims

Etymology

Origin of shim

First recorded in 1715–25; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

"No-one takes responsibility," says Shim Jin-tae, an 83-year-old survivor.

From BBC • Aug. 4, 2025

Mr Shim says his father worked in a munitions factory as a forced labourer, while his mother hammered nails into wooden ammunition crates.

From BBC • Aug. 4, 2025

"Hapcheon already had a leper colony," Mr Shim explains.

From BBC • Aug. 4, 2025

Some of the matchmaking events Shim hosted had storybook endings, like one held by the city of Yongin that produced a marriage.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2024

On the Shim river, a fairly important though minor tributary of the Obi, is Patropavlosk, with a population already of 20,000.

From Russia As Seen and Described by Famous Writers by Singleton, Esther

Related Words

• dressing
• layer
• mixture
• stuffing