blimp
noun
a small, nonrigid airship or dirigible, especially one used chiefly for observation.
blimp
1 American
[blimp]
/ blɪmp /
noun
-
blimps
plural
-
a small, nonrigid airship or dirigible, especially one used chiefly for observation.
-
Slang. a fat person.
verb phrase
Blimp
2
American
[blimp]
/ blɪmp /
(sometimes lowercase)
blimp
1
British
/ blɪmp /
noun
-
a small nonrigid airship, esp one used for observation or as a barrage balloon
-
films a soundproof cover fixed over a camera during shooting
blimp
2
British
/ blɪmp /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of blimp1
First recorded in 1915–20; of uncertain origin
Origin of Blimp2
First recorded in 1930–35
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.
See Examples For:
The company, in response, designed cameras largely from scratch, as well as a new camera sound blimp for the film.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
When I think of Donald Trump, I envision a blimp flying overhead with huge flashing lights blazing “The world is yours!”
From Salon ● Apr. 30, 2026
“I want to go on this new one so bad, it’s killing me,” said Cheryl Ritz, a South Bay native who’s ridden twice on old models of the blimp.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 27, 2025
Wingfoot Three, the blimp based in Carson, has two siblings: Wingfoot One in Suffield, Ohio, and Wingfoot Two in Pompano Beach, Fla. A fourth blimp is based in Europe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 27, 2025
He just happened to glance up as a pink blimp floated nonchalantly around his woodpile and across the front yard, but for a moment this curious apparition did not even register.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
The ride on the Good Year Blimp over the Coachella grounds was gentler than I’d anticipated — kind of like a boat ride in a harbor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026
When Lauren Richeson created the Goodyear Blimp Fan Club on Facebook in 2009, she expected only a few family members and friends to join.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 27, 2025
“So let’s celebrate the fact that I’ve finally seen Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s ‘The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.’
From Washington Post ● May 1, 2022
Months earlier, an FA-18 pilot reportedly used his cellphone to snap photos of three different unidentified aircrafts off the coast of Oceana in March including two UFOs dubbed the "Metalic Blimp" and "The Sphere."
From Fox News ● Apr. 15, 2021
Like the time she took me to see Colonel Blimp and sat there weeping all through the scene where the imprisoned German officers are listening to Mendelssohn.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
And blimps could stay aloft longer than helicopters.
From Slate ● Oct. 2, 2024
And unlike blimps and balloons, airships aren’t just a bag filled with gas.
From NewsForKids.net ● Dec. 7, 2023
Walsh operated a small fleet of cigar-shaped blimps that flew corporate logos over crowded venues.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 9, 2023
The blimps housed there were used as sentries during WWII, armed with machine guns, bombs and charges to fend off submarines, The Times reported.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2023
The sky was speckled with puffy silver blimps tethered to the ground by long webs of cable.
From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs
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