What does shimmied mean?
Shimmed, or more commonly encountered as the past tense shimmied, means to move one's feet rapidly to and fro, particularly in a dance. The movement can also suggest quick, sideways or shuffling progress, as when someone shimmied through a crowded room. The word has a playful, informal tone and evokes rhythm, energy, and a somewhat exaggerated style of movement. Its simple meaning makes it especially useful in descriptions of dancing, comedy, and lively physical activity. Although the basic form shimmy is most often associated with a dance involving rapid side-to-side foot movements, shimmied can describe any similar quick movement, especially one performed with small steps and a noticeable rhythm.
verbTo move one's feet rapidly to and fro, especially as part of a dance. It can also mean to move quickly or sideways with short, shuffling steps.
- To move one's feet rapidly to and fro, especially as part of a dance.
- To move quickly or sideways with short, shuffling steps.
"She shimmied across the stage as the band played."
"The dancers shimmied in unison during the chorus."
"He shimmied through the narrow aisle to reach the door."
A shimmy is a quick, sideways dance move, and saying someone shimmied captures that lively rhythm in one word.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does shimmied come from?
The word shimmy is of uncertain origin, and its precise derivation is not securely established. It became established in English during the early 20th century, particularly through American dance culture. The form shimmied is the regular past-tense and past-participle form of shimmy, while shimmying follows the standard spelling pattern for a verb ending in a consonant plus y.
Related word forms
How shimmied is actually used
Generally informal and descriptive. In dance contexts, it refers to a quick movement of the feet from side to side; in other contexts, it can suggest moving with small, energetic steps.