noun
Meaning 1
A faint or veiled and tremulous gleam or shining.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: glimmer
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
shimmer
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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UK: /ˈʃɪm.ə(ɹ)/
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US: /ˈʃɪm.ɚ/
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UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɪmə(ɹ)
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CMU ARPABET: SH IH1 M ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A measure of the irregularities in the loudness of a particular pitch over time.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences, signal-processing
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A thin electronic device that is fit inside a card reader, such as on automated teller machines (ATMs), or point-of-sale terminals (POS's), that acts as an intermediate interface between the chip on a chip-and-pin technology card and the chip reader of the machine, to allow one to clone the chip.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Qualifier: crime
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: shim
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 4
To shine tremulously or intermittently; to gleam faintly.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Examples
- 1581, John Studley (translator), Medea, Act 4, in Seneca his Tenne Tragedies, London: Thomas Marsh, p. 135, With dusky shimmering wanny globe, her lampe doth pale appeare
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: twinkle, sparkle, glisten, glimmer
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 5
Of a mass of bees: to move their abdomens in a coordinated manner so as to produce a shimmering wave effect, thought to deter predators.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
a weak and tremulous light
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- the shimmer of colors on iridescent feathers
- the play of light on the water
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: play
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: change, alteration, modification
verb
Meaning 7
give off a shimmering reflection, as of silk
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: glitter, glisten, glint, gleam, shine
verb
Meaning 8
shine with a weak or fitful light
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- Beech leaves shimmered in the moonlight
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: shine, beam
History
Etymology
From Middle English schimeren, from Old English sċymrian, sċimrian, sċimerian, from Proto-Germanic *skimarōną. Cognate with Dutch schemeren, German schimmern.
From shim + -er.
Across languages
Translations
58 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: блещукане (bleštukane) — faint or veiled and tremulous gleam or shining; a glimmer
- Bulgarian: трептене (treptene) — faint or veiled and tremulous gleam or shining; a glimmer
- Dutch: glans — faint or veiled and tremulous gleam or shining; a glimmer
- Dutch: glinstering — faint or veiled and tremulous gleam or shining; a glimmer
- French: chatoyement — faint or veiled and tremulous gleam or shining; a glimmer
- French: chatoiement — faint or veiled and tremulous gleam or shining; a glimmer
- Georgian: ციმციმი (cimcimi) — faint or veiled and tremulous gleam or shining; a glimmer
- Georgian: ციალი (ciali) — faint or veiled and tremulous gleam or shining; a glimmer
- Georgian: კიაფი (ḳiapi) — faint or veiled and tremulous gleam or shining; a glimmer
- Georgian: ბჟუტვა (bžuṭva) — faint or veiled and tremulous gleam or shining; a glimmer
- German: Schimmer — faint or veiled and tremulous gleam or shining; a glimmer
- German: Schimmern — faint or veiled and tremulous gleam or shining; a glimmer
- Greek: λαμπύρισμα (lampýrisma) — faint or veiled and tremulous gleam or shining; a glimmer
- Greek: μαρμαρυγή (marmarygí) — faint or veiled and tremulous gleam or shining; a glimmer
- Hindi: चमक (camak) — faint or veiled and tremulous gleam or shining; a glimmer
- Irish: loinnir — faint or veiled and tremulous gleam or shining; a glimmer
- Italian: luccichio — faint or veiled and tremulous gleam or shining; a glimmer
- Māori: tiritiri — faint or veiled and tremulous gleam or shining; a glimmer
- Russian: мерца́ние (mercánije) — faint or veiled and tremulous gleam or shining; a glimmer
- Swedish: skimmer — faint or veiled and tremulous gleam or shining; a glimmer
- Ukrainian: мерехті́ння (merextínnja) — faint or veiled and tremulous gleam or shining; a glimmer
- Vietnamese: lung linh — faint or veiled and tremulous gleam or shining; a glimmer
- Armenian: առկայծել (aṙkaycel) — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Bulgarian: блещукам (bleštukam) — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Bulgarian: трептя (treptja) — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Czech: mihotat se — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Czech: pableskovat — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Czech: třpytit se — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Dutch: glimmen — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Dutch: glinsteren — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- French: chatoyer — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Georgian: ციმციმებს (cimcimebs) — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Georgian: ციალებს (cialebs) — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Georgian: ბჟუტავს (bžuṭavs) — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Georgian: კიაფობს (ḳiapobs) — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- German: schimmern — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Greek: λαμπυρίζω (lampyrízo) — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Greek: τρεμοφέγγω (tremoféngo) — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Hindi: चमक (camak) — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Italian: luccicare — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Italian: rilucere — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Japanese: 揺らめく (yurameku) — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Macedonian: бле́ска (bléska) — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Māori: kārohirohi — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Norwegian: skimre — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Norwegian: skimra — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Russian: мерца́ть (mercátʹ) — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Spanish: titilar — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Spanish: cabrillear — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Spanish: centellear — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Spanish: resplandecer — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Spanish: centellar — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Spanish: escintilar — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Swedish: skimra — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Thai: เปล่งประกาย — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Thai: ส่องแวววาว — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Turkish: titrek ışık saçmak — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer
- Vietnamese: lung linh — to shine with a veiled light; to gleam faintly; to glisten; to glimmer