shimmy

verb

Definition of shimmynext
1
as in to clamber

Related Words

Relevance
2
as in to tap-dance

Related Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shimmy Things that may shimmy and shake, but things nonetheless, not ideological assertions. — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025 Through choreography that feels more appropriate for the Silver Slipper than a wedding, Cassie shimmies up and down the dance floor with tears in her eyes as the attendees smile and cheer for the happy couple. — Zoe Papelis, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2026 In an interview with Forbes, for instance, Generalist engineers describe the model giving a plastic bag a little shake to get a plush toy to shimmy inside, even though such a move wasn’t explicitly programmed in the training data. — Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 6 Apr. 2026 The trio then shimmied back on to stage, with Coughlan and Fallon embracing as the madcap segment came to an end, and the show cut to a sketch in which Coughlan sent up her film The Faraway Tree with an explicit rap for studio executives. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 25 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shimmy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shimmy
  1. clamber
  2. boogie
  3. shinny
  4. bop
  5. skin
  6. waltz
  7. climb
  8. tango
Verb
  • The three, adrenaline pumping, clambered through the pancaked wreckage.
    — Mery Mogollón, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
  • Cars honked their horns and cyclists pulled over to tune in as flags fluttered in the wind, fans clambered to see the screen, and people hugged and shouted.
    — Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 17 June 2026
Definition of clamber
Verb
  • Unbothered, Louis smirked at his sister and continued to boogie to the beat.
    — Alicia Brunker, InStyle, 11 June 2026
  • My dad—who always loved to dance—heard the beat and began to boogie his way through the front door.
    — Ashley Parker, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2026
Definition of boogie
Verb
  • Fanning out like urban guerrillas through Paris’ darkened streets well after midnight, the anti-waste activists shinny up walls and drain pipes, reaching for switches to turn off the lights. Click.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, The Christian Science Monitor, 3 Aug. 2022
  • The slippery custom began a half-century ago merely as a means to dissuade drunken daredevils from attempting to shinny up the poles in order to mingle with paying guests.
    — DOUG MACCASH | Staff writer, NOLA.com, 25 Jan. 2021
Definition of shinny
Verb
  • Ortiz bopped 208 in his first five seasons with the Red Sox.
    — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 24 June 2026
  • The handful of cops were bopping to Michael Jackson.
    — Chris Smith, Vanity Fair, 15 June 2026
Definition of bop
Verb
  • All the specimens were skinned first, and the team removed any excess flesh and internal organs.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 1 July 2026
  • Sanders, along with two of his daughters, skins the fish straightaway.
    — Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 June 2026
Definition of skin
Verb
  • Sweden waltzed to a 5-1 victory against Tunisia in its opener, with its forward line of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres capitalizing on some poor defending.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 20 June 2026
  • When that happens, Pedri can waltz through an empty midfield and from a five-on-four situation, and sets up Mikel Oyarzabal to score.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 5 June 2026
Definition of waltz
Verb
  • The typical age of a first-time buyer climbed to 40, an all-time high.
    — Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • Facing growing criticism over military restrictions in disaster zones, Venezuela’s interim government on Thursday defended its decision to militarize the state of La Guaira as the death toll from last week’s earthquakes climbed to 2,595.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026
Definition of climb
Verb
  • Eliminating even more discomfort by only having one cord to tango with is a win for me.
    — Carin Ryan, Travel + Leisure, 4 Apr. 2026
  • With technical excellence and dramatic flair, the pair tangoed to one of the loudest crowd receptions of the competition.
    — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 25 Mar. 2026
Definition of tango

Browse Nearby Words

shimmies
shimmy
shimmying
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shimmy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shimmy. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on shimmy

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about shimmy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All