blimp

¹ American  

[blimp] / blɪmp /

noun

1. a small, nonrigid airship or dirigible, especially one used chiefly for observation.

2. Slang. a fat person.

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verb phrase

1. blimp out to eat too much.

Blimp ² American  

[blimp] / blɪmp /

(sometimes lowercase)

1. Colonel Blimp.

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blimp ¹ British  

/ blɪmp /

noun

1. a small nonrigid airship, esp one used for observation or as a barrage balloon

2. films a soundproof cover fixed over a camera during shooting

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blimp ² British  

/ blɪmp /

noun

1. Also called: Colonel Blimp.  (often capital) a person, esp a military officer, who is stupidly complacent and reactionary

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Etymology

Origin of blimp¹

First recorded in 1915–20; of uncertain origin

Origin of Blimp²

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

If you’d like to take a ride on the Goodyear blimp, it turns out you can’t do it wearing heels.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

Each tour group maintained its distance from the blimp, anchored down by only its nose and threatening to move if the wind kicked up.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 27, 2025

But most of the photos shared capture the blimp with striking-but-identical sky-blue backsplashes, and yet the amazement never ceases.

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

The burning question is: is the universe more like a giant ever-enlarging blimp, or does it pulsate, does it expand and contract?

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Related Words

• zeppelin