shimmy
Americannoun
-
shimmies
plural
-
an American ragtime dance marked by shaking of the hips and shoulders.
-
excessive wobbling in the front wheels of a motor vehicle.
-
a chemise.
verb (used without object)
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shimmies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shimmied,
past participle, past
-
shimmying
present participle
-
to dance the shimmy.
-
to shake, wobble, or vibrate.
noun
-
an American ragtime dance with much shaking of the hips and shoulders
-
abnormal wobbling motion in a motor vehicle, esp in the front wheels or steering
-
an informal word for chemise
verb
-
to dance the shimmy
-
to vibrate or wobble
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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shimmysimple
-
shimmiessimple
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have shimmiedperfect
-
has shimmiedperfect
-
am shimmyingprogressive
-
are shimmyingprogressive
-
is shimmyingprogressive
-
have been shimmyingperfect progressive
-
has been shimmyingperfect progressive
Past
-
shimmiedsimple
-
had shimmiedperfect
-
was shimmyingprogressive
-
were shimmyingprogressive
-
had been shimmyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of shimmy
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
Vocabulary lists containing shimmy
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.
See Examples For:
You could walk through a grocery store, hear “Billie Jean” playing over the sound system, and shimmy your shoulders, feeling slightly less guilty than you might’ve during the aughts.
From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2026
When the vote is open, shimmy over to this website to make your decision!
From BBC ● Dec. 19, 2025
Days later, he broke out Olajuwon’s signature close-range shimmy, known as the “Dream Shake.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2025
Fittingly for a story about fighting inhumanity with full-bodied self-expression, the choreography is shot in long, wide takes that capture every dip, shimmy and spin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 31, 2025
But even with every shake and shimmy, my brain waves remained flatlined.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
From shoulder shimmies and frat flicks to somersaults and knee slides, the Flemings and Schifferles left it all on the dance floor to prove the prowess of their family name.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
De la Huerta shimmies toward Monroe in homage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2025
An electric knifefish shimmies in the water for the same reason a dog sniffs or a human glances around a new place -- to make sense of their surroundings.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2023
This provides a solid backdrop for incongruously dark swivels, sometimes accompanied by the kind of shimmies Steph Curry does after hitting a shot near half court.
From New York Times ● Mar. 8, 2022
He shimmies in the doorway of the first room, the biggest of the three.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
In the video, Barrymore showed off her playful side as she shimmied around her mobile living space, while giving fans a tour of its humble amenities—all while singer Enya’s “Caribbean Blue” played in the background.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026
Channeling the music like a crazed shaman, Jagger shimmied and sashayed, owning the stage like few lead singers have before or since.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2026
He shimmied away from the only remaining defender, spotted Schmeichel off his line, and chipped him from the halfway line with a shot that defied belief and perhaps gravity itself.
From BBC ● Nov. 18, 2025
When Mom thought the oil was close, she would flick a little flour into it, and if it sizzled and shimmied just right, she knew it was ready.
From Salon ● Apr. 1, 2025
Seven shimmied her shoulders, pretending she was shaking off her fears, found purchase on a knob, and began to work her way up.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
Passengers were shimmying in practically every nook and cranny in the auditorium.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
Creating stronger flexibility, groundedness and rank body odor, shimmying around in 105 degree heat is having a wild, wild wellness moment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026
Around her, dancers of all ages shook their hips to Arabic music, shimmying barefoot as a woman with a neck tattoo played the derbake, a traditional drum.
From Barron's ● Nov. 10, 2025
They scored their first major hit with Mas Que Nada, a sun-kissed cover of a Jorge Ben original, full of finger clicks, shimmying shakers and an ebullient chorus that sings of the urge to dance.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2024
After shimmying the rest of the way into my swimsuit, I tuck the red heart-shaped sunglasses Bo gave me all those months ago into my hair.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
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.
