shindig

Meaning

1. 1nouncountableinformalold-fashioned

   A big, lively party or gathering, usually with food, music and plenty of noise.

   Grammar: Counted: a shindig, several shindigs; often used with throw or host.

   Patterns

   • throw a shindig
   • a shindig for someone
   • a shindig at somewhere

   The neighbors threw a huge shindig to celebrate the end of the school year.

   We are having a shindig in the barn on Saturday, so bring your dancing shoes.

   The company holiday shindig lasted until midnight.

Word forms

Common combinations

throw a shindig

They threw a shindig for their tenth anniversary.

big shindig

It was a big shindig with a live band.

annual shindig

The town's annual shindig draws hundreds of people.

summer shindig

We went to a summer shindig on the farm.

go to a shindig

I'm going to a shindig at my cousin's house.

Synonyms and how they differ

party

Party is the general word for any social gathering, while shindig is more playful and suggests something large and lively.

bash

Bash is also informal and suggests a big lively party, but it sounds more modern than shindig.

get-together

Get-together is quieter and smaller, while a shindig is noisy and energetic.

hoedown

Hoedown suggests a country dance with folk music, while shindig covers any lively party.

Word family

shindy noun

an older variant meaning a noisy disturbance or party

party noun

a social gathering

celebration noun

an event to mark a special occasion

Commonly confused: shindig or shin dig?

Practice

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