shim

Meaning

Noun

1. A wedge.
2. A thin piece of material, sometimes tapered, used for alignment or support.
3. A small library that transparently intercepts and modifies calls to an API, usually for compatibility purposes.
4. A kind of shallow plow used in tillage to break the ground and clear it of weeds.
5. A small metal device used to pick open a lock.

Verb

1. To fit one or more shims to a piece of machinery.
2. To adjust something by using shims.
3. To adjust the homogeneity of a magnetic field, after the mechanical devices once used for the purpose.
4. To intercept and modify calls to (an API), usually for compatibility purposes.

Synonyms

pad

filling piece

filler piece

wedge

filler

fillet

filling

foundation

gasket

gore

gusset

liner

lining

mat

moulding

pack

packing

piton

quoin

refill

spline

underlay

underlie

panel strip

table mat

coigne

drip mat

filler rod

shaving board

insert ring

shim block

spacer strip

backing

backup plate

chock

cleat

coign

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ʃɪm/

Etymology

Unknown; from Kent. Originally a piece of iron attached to a plow; sense of “thin piece of wood” from 1723, sense of “thin piece of material used for alignment or support” from 1860.