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Glite Dictionary
📏 A thin spacer 💻 A compatibility tool 📏 To level with spacer
to shim

to shim

7.5
To put a thin piece of material between parts to fill a gap and make them level
  • verb
  • /ʃɪm/
translation icon : cuñar
  • When installing cabinets, always shim them to achieve a level and secure fit.

Examples

  • Open it, or I'm gonna shim the lock, maybe damage your ride.

    Orcs! (2011)

  • Now we're here and I want you to, if this is the final width, I want you to shimmy it over over here.

  • In the chimney corner was a bedstead, and Inman could see that they had not even tried to shim it level but had only made the modest effort of turning it so that the head was to the high side.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Firstly, I want to see the cam profiles on the YEC since I really don't want to shim them and am hoping they aren't in too bad shape.

    Blog text (28)

  • To ensure the table is stable, you should shim the legs if they are uneven.

  • We had to shim the door frame to prevent it from rubbing against the floor when opened.

Synonyms

to add a shim
vsto shim
  • Specialized
7.3

A thin piece that you put under something to make it level

means the same action but framed as filling gaps to make things level

Phrasal Verbs

to add a shim
  • Specialized
7.4

A small program added to help old software run on a new system temporarily

to add a shim
  • Specialized
7.3

A thin piece that you put under something to make it level

How Level

to adjust
317 2.7
to jack
32 5.2
to wedge
54 4.9
to shim
7.5
to nudge
33 3.8

Surface Forms

shim infinitive
shimmed past
shimmed past participle
shimming present participle
shims third person singular

Etymology

To shim something means to put a thin piece into a gap to make it level or steady. So when you 'shim' a door or a shelf, you are using a little wedge to lift or straighten it.