How to Use shimmy in a Sentence

shimmy

1 of 2 noun
  • Our cause célèbre makes for shimmies and shakes the world over.
    — al, 5 Feb. 2020
  • Each shimmy of his hips drew shrieks from female fans.
    — Brian McCollum, Freep.com, 15 Aug. 2025
  • Any slight shimmy may have the whole thing toppling down at any moment!
    — Sable Yong, Allure, 14 July 2017
  • At an obstacle course, plebes flip and shimmy over logs and poles.
    — Sarah Larimer, Washington Post, 16 May 2017
  • After stretching, the ladies try out some chest shimmies and neck rolls.
    — Mariah Smith, The Cut, 18 Dec. 2017
  • His shimmy with the puck on breakouts or at the blue line have become Heiskanen canon.
    — Dallas News, 5 May 2022
  • With the Targa’s roof panel stowed, rough roads send a minor shimmy through the body.
    — Steve Siler, Car and Driver, 16 Feb. 2018
  • Then jerk the lure with a sweep of the rod tip, or use a pop-pop-popping motion to put the shimmy and shake in a jerk bait.
    — Flip Putthoff, Arkansas Online, 22 Feb. 2022
  • Fists pump, arms flail, shoulders shimmy, hips swivel, feet stomp; every body part explores space.
    — Jeffrey Gantz, BostonGlobe.com, 5 June 2022
  • The superfan and his musical favorite got to hold hands and shimmy on stage.
    — Nick Romano, EW.com, 4 Mar. 2022
  • There was no shimmy on his way to the sidelines after the Boston timeout.
    — Chris Fedor, cleveland.com, 22 May 2017
  • Clearly, our human brains also have evolved to sway, shimmy and shake our bodies along to music.
    — Susan Pinker, WSJ, 25 Jan. 2020
  • At the top of the box, the captain cut one way, ducked the other and then tugged the ball back to shimmy free of his defender.
    — Julia Poe, Pro Soccer USA, 5 Aug. 2019
  • Sight is as important in this case as sound and Stephanaya has got the strut and the shimmy down perfectly.
    — Mel Shields, sacbee, 27 Apr. 2018
  • If one of those bad things does happen and it can’t be fixed, even with the perfect shimmy, years of work could be undone in an instant.
    — Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 25 Dec. 2021
  • After the transfer, the male did a shimmy that Matsushige had only seen in the video of the wild sea dragons.
    — Madeline Bodin, Discover Magazine, 23 Nov. 2020
  • Meanwhile, people of all ages came out to watch legend Tanya Tucker shimmy on stage.
    — Anna Moeslein, Glamour, 29 Apr. 2018
  • Later, just a stone’s throw away, a dancer in a fiery red blouse shimmies onstage, matching the rhythm of a plucky tune in Spanish.
    — Cameron Pugh, Christian Science Monitor, 24 June 2026
  • And sure enough, within seconds, Olivia somehow hoists herself herself over the crib and shimmies down to the ground.
    — Aurelie Corinthios, PEOPLE.com, 10 July 2018
  • The 30-year-old then followed up the shot with a shimmy celebration, much to his head coach's amusement.
    — Nihal Kolur, SI.com, 21 May 2018
  • Your car might whistle or screech, thump or groan, or decide to engage you in a game of charades with a performative shimmy.
    — Mac Demere, Popular Mechanics, 2 Aug. 2019
  • After Niko shimmies into a red dress, Gvatua needs to strap him into the studded bra.
    — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 21 Nov. 2018
  • There was also a delightful pair of short boots on which the heel was covered with free-hanging chain mail that appeared to shimmy and dance with each step.
    — Adam Tschorn, latimes.com, 2 Mar. 2018
  • Press a foot pedal, and the horizon line shimmies—the effect is absurdly pathetic.
    — The New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2017
  • During the first week of the season, Cabrera would get to second base after a double, pound his chest and do a little shimmy.
    — Anthony Fenech, Detroit Free Press, 7 Apr. 2018
  • So now Hayes is opting for eager to please, with arm sways and shimmies, loads of high-fives for fans up front and direct eye contact with folks in the balcony.
    — Piet Levy, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 23 Feb. 2018
  • To make matters more sensitive, Madonna shimmies and grooves in a cleavage-baring slip dress with the straps louche-ly sliding off.
    — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 3 May 2018
  • Sorry, Samir, but unfortunately for all of us the next shimmy might have to wait for the Big Dance.
    — Joseph Goodman | [email protected], al, 12 Feb. 2020
  • Locally, Margaret is known for announcing hailstorms with a sexy shimmy.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026
  • After the shot went in, Stephenson turned to the crowd and did his signature shoulder shimmy in celebration.
    — James Boyd, The Indianapolis Star, 6 Apr. 2022

shimmy

2 of 2 verb
  • One of the car's wheels was shimmying.
  • They were shimmying on the dance floor.
  • I shimmied into my jacket.
  • Tucker stretched his arms wide around the trunk and shimmied around it.
    — Ted Gregory, chicagotribune.com, 27 Apr. 2018
  • That’s when Rannells slips on a clown mask and starts to shimmy.
    — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Avendaño shimmies the mascara brush from left to right and from root to tip.
    — Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 18 Mar. 2026
  • This way, the climber can shimmy up the rope without touching the rock face.
    — Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Nov. 2022
  • In a nearby liquor store, bottles shimmied off their shelves and smashed to the floor.
    — David L. Stern, Washington Post, 2 Jan. 2024
  • So go ahead, shimmy the ice off your shoulders, and ease into one of these hot springs.
    — Outside Online, 12 Feb. 2014
  • The doors were chained to their frames and could not be opened more than a foot; detainees had to shimmy through.
    — David Remnic, The New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2021
  • Mowry could be seen bopping her head back and forth, shimmying her hips and even adding a few snaps.
    — Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 20 Jan. 2024
  • This is just the sort of science story that shimmies to the top of newsfeeds.
    — Daniel Engber, Slate Magazine, 14 Feb. 2017
  • This song is perfect for members of the single squad to shimmy to on the dance floor.
    — Katie Robinson, Seventeen, 20 Feb. 2018
  • Grab an espresso martini and get ready to shimmy the night away.
    — Rana Good, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
  • But now, clusters of them have shimmied up toward the sky like upside-down palms.
    — Chloe Sachdev, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Apr. 2024
  • On Maduro’s outdoor set, people rose, shimmied and clapped to the beat.
    — Patricia Mazzei, miamiherald, 24 July 2017
  • People shimmied up next to show sheep, grinned on the midway or propped toddlers up on bales of hay.
    — Alyson Ward, Houston Chronicle, 5 Mar. 2018
  • Proctor shimmied under a fence and hid behind a tour bus in the parking lot.
    — Greg Toppo, USA TODAY, 4 Oct. 2017
  • Peterson shimmies out of jail for a final time, but no one feels too triumphant.
    — Rachel Syme, The New Republic, 11 June 2018
  • On the field, Wally waved the Red Sox flag and shimmied his hips.
    — Dugan Arnett, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Aug. 2019
  • As the objects shimmy, an umbrella emerges from behind to join in.
    — Shannon Taggart, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
  • Overpass is a climbing challenge in which people have to climb up and over a beam, or shimmy across it.
    — Charles Infosino, Cincinnati.com, 12 June 2020
  • The state got lucky when Irma’s path shimmied west, and the hurricane lacked a back half.
    — Time, 13 Sep. 2017
  • The first was able to shimmy out from under the tank, but Clement was severely injured.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Aug. 2019
  • To help her dress, Colt moves her back onto the bed and rolls her side to side, shimmying her pant legs on a bit at a time.
    — Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2019
  • As in just one second, a player can shimmy the ball onto his left foot and curl it into the top corner of the net.
    — SI.com, 9 Oct. 2019
  • But the group would have to shimmy down a very steep path with poor visibility to reach the river, then take a boat to get there.
    — Kate Springer, CNN, 21 Oct. 2021
  • His father tossed the two boys to his friend on the ground and then shimmied down the rope himself, badly injuring his hands and arm.
    — Michael Hamad, courant.com, 27 June 2019
  • Brunson extended an arm, trying to shimmy away.
    — Fred Katz, New York Times, 10 June 2026
  • Washers/Dryers Like slide-in ranges, most washers and dryers can be shimmied out from the wall.
    — Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Jan. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shimmy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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