jimmy

1 of 2

noun

jim·​my ˈji-mē How to pronounce jimmy (audio)
plural jimmies
Synonyms of jimmynext
: a short crowbar

jimmy

2 of 2

verb

jimmied; jimmying

transitive verb

: to force open with or as if with a jimmy
the burglar jimmied a window

Synonyms of jimmy

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Verb

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Examples of jimmy in a Sentence

Noun The burglar used a jimmy to open the window. Verb let's try to jimmy the door lock with my credit card
Recent Examples on the Web
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Verb
In the end, staff at the Capitol had to hire a safecracker and jimmy the thing. — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026 The four were on their way to steal quarters from a Manhattan video arcade by jimmying open the coin boxes with screwdrivers. — Barbara Spindel, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Mar. 2026 If anything, the minor charges within them could well have been used to corroborate the boys’ claims that their only plan that day had been to jimmy open some arcade machines. — Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026 In a surveillance video released by authorities, Robinson allegedly darts across the roof after firing the single shot, jimmies down to a ledge and jumps to the grass below. — Rick Jervis, USA Today, 14 Sep. 2025 Johns’ apartment was locked, but staff at the Apple Apartments jimmied the sliding glass patio door to get in. — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 June 2025 The district attorney repeatedly assailed the Police Department over the level of security in its evidence room, saying that officers had unfettered access through a gap in the wall and used a broomstick to jimmy a door. — Neil Vigdor, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025 Enlarge / Infrared image of a person jimmying open a vehicle. — Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 7 Apr. 2023 Their minds still flash back a month to the sound of the thud on the bathroom floor and to jimmying open the door with a butter knife. — Marisa Gerber, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Noun

from the name Jimmy

First Known Use

Noun

1848, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1893, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of jimmy was in 1848

Rhymes for jimmy

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Browse Nearby Words

jimmies
jimmy
jimmyweed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Jimmy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jimmy. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

jimmy

1 of 2 noun
jim·​my ˈjim-ē How to pronounce jimmy (audio)
plural jimmies
: a short crowbar used by burglars

jimmy

2 of 2 verb
jimmied; jimmying
: to force open with or as if with a jimmy

More from Merriam-Webster on jimmy

Nglish: Translation of jimmy for Spanish Speakers

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