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
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
“So when I get to see the blimp, I’m a happy camper.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 27, 2025
Light shines everywhere: the lanterns and blimp screens and sky candles and a bright rising moon.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
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
“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
Others have suggested filling the Goodyear Blimp, which has a base in the city, with Febreze, or a water-dropping helicopter with Lysol.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2021
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
The hangars housed 12 blimps that were used for submarine patrol.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2023
A wood-supported hangar built in Tustin, California, to house surveillance blimps during World War II went up in smoke Tuesday.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 7, 2023
We all turned sixteen today, and for any normal girl that would mean raspberry and lemon macarons and tiny pastel blimps and pink champagne and card games.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
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