shimmy

[shim-ee]

noun

plural

shimmies 

1. an American ragtime dance marked by shaking of the hips and shoulders.

2. excessive wobbling in the front wheels of a motor vehicle.

3. a chemise.

verb (used without object)

shimmied, shimmying 

1. to dance the shimmy.

2. to shake, wobble, or vibrate.

shimmy

/ ˈʃɪmɪ /

noun

1. an American ragtime dance with much shaking of the hips and shoulders

2. abnormal wobbling motion in a motor vehicle, esp in the front wheels or steering

3. an informal word for chemise

verb

1. to dance the shimmy

2. to vibrate or wobble

Word History and Origins

Origin of shimmy¹

First recorded in 1830–40 shimmy for def. 3; 1915–20 shimmy for def. 1; back formation and respelling of chemise, construed as a plural

Word History and Origins

Origin of shimmy¹

C19: changed from _chemise , mistakenly assumed to be plural

Example Sentences

My husband slipped out of his shorts and I was just shimmying out of mine when we heard voices.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Like the kids, their leather is leaky, their arms are toast, their best hitter is their best pitcher, their silly celebrations are pure playground — shimmy shakes and sunflower seed showers.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“Growing up, I always loved belly-dance belts. It has that shimmy, where I can dance a little bit.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Accompanied by his superstar partner, Rihanna, exhibiting her sizable baby bump, the rapper locked eyes with Lee and the two broke out into a spontaneous shimmy.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

I’m from Texas, so there’s like synergy, but I just wanted, like, a little bit of shimmy.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• wobble 

When To Use

What does shimmy mean?

The shimmy is a dance move that involves repeated shaking of the shoulders and hips, as in The dancer entranced the audience with her hypnotizing shimmy.Shimmy can also mean to perform the specific dance or to shake or wobble in general, as in The puppy shimmied through the tight doggy door.The noun shimmy may be accompanied by a term that says specifically which part of the body a person is shaking, as in I celebrated my big win with a shoulder shimmy.The plural of shimmy is shimmies.Example: The singer shimmied along with the back-up dancers during the guitar solo.