stim

American  

[stim] / stɪm /

verb (used without object)

1. to engage in repetitive physical movements or articulated noises, often in reaction to a mental or emotional state: especially common in young children and those with developmental disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder.

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noun

1. Also called self-stimulatory behavior.  a repeated physical movement or articulated noise, ranging from full body rocking or leg bouncing to head banging and hand flapping, exhibited by many people, often in reaction to a mental or emotional state, but especially by young children and those with developmental disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder.

   Some common stims like chewing your nails or twirling your hair are similar in their purpose and result to the stims of a child who sucks his thumb or flicks his fingers.

stim British  

/ stɪm /

noun

1. (used with a negative) a very small amount

   I couldn't see a stim

   she hasn't a stim of sense

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Etymology

Origin of stim

First recorded in 1980–85; by shortening of stimming ( def. )

Example Sentences

"I just felt so accepted, and I was like, if I want to stim I'm going to stim and not feel ashamed of it."

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2024

Per the latter, these can include "wobble cushions for hyperkinetic children to sit on and wiggle; noise-cancelling headphones for sound-sensitivity; stim toys to help induce focus; egg-timers to help structure independent learning time."

From Salon • Sep. 26, 2023

He used to rely on plastic Mardi Gras beads to stim with, motions that in fact make the world more accessible by giving him needed input.

From The Verge • Jul. 12, 2022

An experimenter raises an eyebrow—protocol stipulates that the subject should not know when the stim is turned on—but he does, and immediately Spetic begins to pick the ball up easily.

From The New Yorker • May 16, 2016

They make the stim out of coal, which is found on the ground.

From The Continental Monthly, Vol. 1, No. 3, March, 1862 by Various