shim
[ shim ]
/ ʃɪm /
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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.
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Origin of shim
First recorded in 1715–25; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for shim
Then I moved them into place, using shims to get the door centered in the door jamb.
Build your own door and ascend to a higher level of DIY|Courtney Starr|November 20, 2020|Popular ScienceThis filling may be some flat pieces of tin or sheet copper, commonly called shims, and the process is called shimming.
Farm Engines and How to Run Them|James H. StephensonHe compares the message of Thorwald to the cormorant shimming over the waves, and says he will never take it.
The story of Burnt Njal|Anonymous
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
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