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Glite Dictionary
💻 To fix compatibility 🪛 To fill a gap
to add a shim

to add a shim

7.3
A thin piece that you put under something to make it level
  • phrasal verb
  • Specialized
translation icon : añadir una cuña
  • When installing the window, the carpenter added a shim for a perfect fit.

Examples

  • You may need to add a shim if the floor is uneven.

  • When the table wobbled, I decided to add a shim underneath one leg to stabilize it.

  • To keep the shelf level, I had to add a shim under one end.

  • Can you add that shim to the structure?

  • Why did the contractor add a shim to the wall?

  • To keep the shelf level, I had to add a shim under one end.

  • You may need to add a shim if the floor is uneven to ensure proper alignment.

Synonyms

to emplace
vsto add a shim
  • Specialized
1 9.1

To put something firmly in a chosen place, often for machines or heavy equipment

involves inserting thin material to fix gaps and align parts
to shim
vsto add a shim
7.5

To put a thin piece of material between parts to fill a gap and make them level

is used to adjust level and correct alignment rather than simple placement

Antonyms

to remove
∞ 1.5

To move something or someone away from a place

How Level

to add a shim
  • Specialized
7.3
to wedge
54 4.9

Surface Forms

add a shim infinitive
added a shim past
added a shim past participle
adding a shim present participle
adds a shim third person singular

Morphology

add + a + shim

The phrase maps directly from the literal 'shim' (a thin piece added to make parts fit) combined with 'add', so a learner who knows those words can infer the idea of inserting a small element to make things work. However, the computing sense (a small compatibility layer of software) is a technical, metaphorical extension of the physical object and requires domain knowledge, so the relation is only partly predictable without exposure.

Etymology

Add a shim comes from builders who slide a thin piece of wood or metal called a shim under a shelf, window, or piece of furniture to fill a gap and make it level. So, add a shim means 'to make a small adjustment' or 'to correct the fit' so things sit or work straight.