shimmy
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A dance move involving thrusting the shoulders back and forth alternately.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
shimeeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈʃɪmi
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.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A dance move involving thrusting the shoulders back and forth alternately.
A dance that was popular in the 1920s.
An abnormal wobble in a motor vehicle (especially in the front wheels)
“He could feel the shimmy in the steering wheel.”
verb
dance
To perform a shimmy (dance movement involving thrusting the shoulders back and forth alternately).
intransitive
To vibrate abnormally, as a broken wheel.
To climb something (e.g. a pole) gradually (e.g. using alternately one's arms then one's legs).
Tremble or shake
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Rare
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A dance move involving thrusting the shoulders back and forth alternately.
Used this way, shimmy 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.
More ways to use shimmy
- “He could feel the shimmy in the steering wheel.”noun
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Keep learning “shimmy” by choosing the kind of practice you need next.
- Practice sentence writingWrite sentences with vocabulary and get instant feedback.
- Practice in contextAnswer short vocabulary questions drawn from real situations.
- Review vocabularyTest your recall and strengthen words over time.
- Practice typingType vocabulary in short rounds that draw from words you've learned and saved.
Want to type words like this one without looking at the keyboard? Each typing round draws from words you've learned, saved or need to review. Follow the free Learn to Type lessons and type your own vocabulary with confidence.
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.