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definitions

shim

[ shim ]
/ ʃɪm /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR shim ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

verb (used with object), shimmed, shim·ming.

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

RELATED WORDS

chunk, stuffing, mixture, layer, dressing, cusp, taper, spire, quoin, cleat, lump, keystone, prong, block, cotter, chock, insides, cylinder, center, cartridge

Nearby words

  1. shilly-shally,
  2. shillyshally,
  3. shiloh,
  4. shilpit,
  5. shily,
  6. shimazaki,
  7. shimizu,
  8. shimla,
  9. shimmer,
  10. shimmery

Origin of shim

First recorded in 1715–25; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for shim

  • No, the big elevation rudder was still in place, but it seemed to have no effect on the shim.

    Tom Swift and his Airship|Victor Appleton
British Dictionary definitions for shim

shim

/ (ʃɪm) /

noun

a thin packing strip or washer often used with a number of similar washers or strips to adjust a clearance for gears, etc
physics a thin strip of magnetic material, such as soft iron, used to adjust a magnetic field

verb shims, shimming or shimmed

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

Word Origin for shim

C18: origin unknown
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for shim
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper