blimp
noun
a small, nonrigid airship or dirigible, especially one used chiefly for observation.
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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
The resulting camera, named the Keighley, features a newly designed camera-encasing blimp that reduced the noise to what Nolan calls “a gentle purr.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 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
“So when I get to see the blimp, I’m a happy camper.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 27, 2025
That Reilly blimp was working for the company at the time that that letter to Abelman was dated.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
Blimp pilots, Sintora said, share one mission: to excite the masses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 27, 2025
The Goodyear Blimp hovers over various areas while touring Southern California.
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
Smoke poured into the sky from the former military base near Warner Avenue and Armstrong Road, which was home to two hangars meant to house blimps during World War II.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2023
In June 2017, one of his blimps crashed and burned on live television at the men’s U.S.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 9, 2023
Garden-lanterns linger above the giant geometric hedges, and blimps carry small candles, gliding along the intricate maze.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
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.
