jimmy
noun
a short crowbar.
jimmy
1 American
[jim-ee]
/ ˈdʒɪm i /
noun
plural
jimmies-
a short crowbar.
-
a large male crab, especially of Chesapeake Bay.
verb (used with object)
jimmied,
jimmying
jimmy
2
American
[jim-ee]
/ ˈdʒɪm i /
noun
Australian Slang.
plural
jimmies
Jimmy
3
American
[jim-ee]
/ ˈdʒɪm i /
Or
Jimmie
noun
Jimmy
1
British
/ ˈdʒɪmɪ /
noun
jimmy
2
British
/ ˈdʒɪmɪ /
noun
Etymology
Origin of jimmy1
1840–50; generic use of Jimmy; cf. jack 1
Origin of jimmy2
1835–45; rhyming slang; Jimmy (Grant), for immigrant
Explanation
To jimmy something is to force it open. If you lock yourself out, you can jimmy a window and climb inside your house. Or you could just use that key that's hidden under a rock by the door. A thief might jimmy a car door to steal its stereo, and if you accidentally paint your kitchen window shut, you may have to jimmy it open. The verb jimmy comes from the noun jimmy, or "short crow bar," the kind of tool you'd use to jimmy something. In the 1800s, this type of crowbar was popular with burglars.
Vocabulary lists containing jimmy
The Sword of Summer
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Every Falling Star
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The Last Cuentista
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Very serious games begin when Jimmy Sullivan, a slippery charmer from Honor’s past, becomes her fifth—and most ill-fated—tenant.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
Trump added: "He told me, Jimmy Lai is a tough one for him to do."
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
From Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal to Jimmy Carter’s winning campaign in 1976, Democratic Party built a durable coalition by making rural voters feel seen and heard with policies that responded to their needs and demands.
From Salon • May 12, 2026
Jimmy Fallon, whose company is co-producing the show, and Guthrie announced the series pick-up Monday on NBC’s “Today.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026
Oliver heard static; then Jimmy L’s voice came through the device.
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
