pimp
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
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to act as a pimp, soliciting customers for a prostitute or brothel in return for a share of the earnings.
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to engage in promotion or publicizing.
She's used her blog before to pimp for her brother's band.
verb (used with object)
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to act as a pimp for, procuring customers for a prostitute or brothel (sometimes followed byout ).
It won't be long before the so-called boyfriend starts pimping her out.
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to promote; sell.
We'll send you albums and pimp your websites on ours.
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to exploit.
You've been accused of pimping your friendships, using them as material for your novels.
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to customize, modify, or decorate (a car or the like); deck out (sometimes followed by up or out):
My cousin pimped his lowrider with some wild hydraulics.
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to make more appealing; rejuvenate; elevate; jazz up (sometimes followed by up or out): This article on pimping your skincare routine is all about buying new products.
The chef likes to pimp her burgers with a fried egg and truffle oil.
This article on pimping your skincare routine is all about buying new products.
noun
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a man who solicits for a prostitute or brothel and lives off the earnings
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a man who procures sexual gratification for another; procurer; pander
verb
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(intr) to act as a pimp
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slang (tr) to adapt or embellish in an ostentatious manner
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has pimpedperfect 3rd person singular
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have pimpedperfect
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has been pimpingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been pimpingperfect progressive
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am pimpingprogressive 1st person singular
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are pimpingprogressive
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is pimpingprogressive 3rd person singular
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pimpingparticiple
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pimpssingular 3rd person
Past
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had pimpedperfect
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were pimpingprogressive plural
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was pimpingprogressive singular
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had been pimpingperfect progressive
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pimpedsimple
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pimpedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of pimp
First recorded in 1630–40; origin uncertain
Explanation
A pimp is someone who employs prostitutes — they work for the pimp, who gets a cut of their money. He pimps them. Pimp is a word that has greatly shifted in meaning, as it sometimes means "great" or "cool," as in "That bike is pimp!" However, that's a slang meaning that many people, especially adults, won't understand or like. The main meaning of pimp as the boss of prostitutes is pretty creepy, because prostitution is illegal and pimps are not known for treating their workers very nicely. For some reason, pimps are known for their flashy dress.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He also fronted the UK version of hit MTV show Pimp my Ride in 2005.
From BBC • Nov. 6, 2024
Lamar told the crowd at the Hey Neighbor festival that his 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly was inspired by his first visit to South Africa.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 11, 2023
Albert Hughes — one half of the Hughes Brothers — is known for putting out classic films that exposed the many social ills in America, like "Menace II Society," "American Pimp" and "Dead Presidents."
From Salon • Oct. 6, 2023
Eight years after the release of Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly,” the instant-classic LP that he helped produce, Terrace Martin is now a world-touring producer and multi-instrumentalist.
From New York Times • Jun. 30, 2023
But it was West Indian Archie and Sammy the Pimp for whom I was primarily looking.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
