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Synonyms

wimp

1 American  
[wimp] / wɪmp /

noun

Informal.

  1. a weak, ineffectual, timid person.

verb phrase

  1. wimp out

    1. to be or act like a wimp.

    2. to show timidity or cowardice; chicken out.

WIMP 2 American  
[wimp] / wɪmp /

noun

  1. any of a group of weakly interacting elementary particles predicted by various unified field theories, as the W particle and Z-zero particle, that are characterized by relatively large masses.

WIMP 1 British  
/ wɪmp /

acronym

  1. windows, icons, menus ( or mice), pointers: denoting a type of user-friendly screen display used on small computers

    a WIMP system

  2. physics weakly interacting massive particle

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
wimp 2 British  
/ wɪmp /

noun

  1. informal a feeble ineffective person See also wimp out

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
WIMP Scientific  
/ wĭmp /

  1. Short for weakly interacting massive particle. Any of various hypothetical particles, some predicted by certain theories such as supersymmetry, which interact with other particles by the force of gravity alone. WIMPs are considered by some scientists to be candidates for the dark matter that makes up much of the mass of the universe.

Other Word Forms

  • wimpish adjective

Etymology

Origin of wimp1

An Americanism dating back to 1915–20; origin uncertain; whimper

Origin of WIMP2

1985–90; W(eakly) I(nteracting) M(assive) P(article)

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 reacted and Scarlett "jokingly" called him a wimp, Ms Hall says.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2025

The stakes were much lower on Thursday, but the pattern held firm: Jordan's focus was on creating an illusion of tenacity while being too much of a wimp to own up to his own failures.

From Salon • Oct. 20, 2023

It’s a tough assignment for a self-described wimp who ceaselessly cites his own shortcomings: bad grades, a flabby torso, a smarmy personality.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 20, 2023

“When I started,” she said, “they wanted my things completely wimp feminine, and the gallery wanted to push that and I just wanted to throw up.”

From New York Times • Nov. 8, 2022

You were always such a wimp, Moira says, but with affection.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

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.