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jimmy

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A diminutive of the male given names James or Jim, also used as a formal given name.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

jimee

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈdʒɪmi

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A diminutive of the male given names James or Jim, also used as a formal given name.

  2. A General Motors diesel truck or diesel locomotive, or the diesel engine thereof; (by extension) any GMC truck, even a gasoline-powered pickup or SUV.

  3. A prime mover powered by a two-stroke Detroit Diesel engine.

  4. us

    A jemmy; a crowbar used by burglars to open windows and doors.

  5. (plural only, dialectal, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, Mid-Atlantic US) Sprinkles used as a topping for ice cream, cookies, or cupcakes.

  6. informal

    A device used to circumvent a locking mechanism.

verb

  1. transitiveinformal

    To pry (something, especially a lock) open with or as if with a crowbar.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B1 · Intermediate
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A diminutive of the male given names James or Jim, also used as a formal given name.

Used this way, jimmy is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

president jimmylike jimmyjimmy lee

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • jimmy carternounCompound term

    39th President of the United States (1924-).

  • jimmy conorsnounCompound term

    Outstanding United States tennis player (born in 1952).

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

noun

Sense: diminutive of the male given names James

jemmy

verb

Sense: to pry (something or especially a lock) open with

jemmy

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.