shimmy
noun
an American ragtime dance marked by shaking of the hips and shoulders.
were shimmying
-
past progressiveof shimmy.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Passengers were shimmying in practically every nook and cranny in the auditorium.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
One day, he took them on a hike, and before they knew it they were shimmying up the knife edge of nearby Capitol Peak, among the most difficult climbs of Colorado’s fourteen-thousand-foot mountains.
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 22, 2019
Her palms got sweaty and she slipped off the pole she and others in her group were shimmying up to get over the border fence and into Arizona.
From New York Times ● Apr. 29, 2010
The Americans were shimmying up the hill on their bellies.
From Time Magazine Archive
