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

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.

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At this point, I have to shimmy forward; that’s how tight the space is now.

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“Well done, clever hens. Now turn, and shimmy, and shake your tails. Shake ’em all about!”

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The ostrich tipped its head from side to side, and gave a little shimmy with its broad, feathered tail.

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“Only the Deep Trekker could shimmy in there,” says Ryan Harris.

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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.