pimp
Americannoun
-
pimps
plural
verb (used without object)
-
pimps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
pimped,
past participle, past
-
pimping
present participle
-
to act as a pimp, soliciting customers for a prostitute or brothel in return for a share of the earnings.
-
to engage in promotion or publicizing.
She's used her blog before to pimp for her brother's band.
verb (used with object)
-
pimps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
pimped,
past participle, past
-
pimping
present participle
-
to act as a pimp for, procuring customers for a prostitute or brothel (sometimes followed byout ).
It won't be long before the so-called boyfriend starts pimping her out.
-
to promote; sell.
We'll send you albums and pimp your websites on ours.
-
to exploit.
You've been accused of pimping your friendships, using them as material for your novels.
-
to customize, modify, or decorate (a car or the like); deck out (sometimes followed by up or out):
My cousin pimped his lowrider with some wild hydraulics.
-
to make more appealing; rejuvenate; elevate; jazz up (sometimes followed by up or out): This article on pimping your skincare routine is all about buying new products.
The chef likes to pimp her burgers with a fried egg and truffle oil.
This article on pimping your skincare routine is all about buying new products.
noun
-
a man who solicits for a prostitute or brothel and lives off the earnings
-
a man who procures sexual gratification for another; procurer; pander
verb
-
(intr) to act as a pimp
-
slang (tr) to adapt or embellish in an ostentatious manner
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
pimpsimple
-
pimpssimple
-
have pimpedperfect
-
has pimpedperfect
-
am pimpingprogressive
-
are pimpingprogressive
-
is pimpingprogressive
-
have been pimpingperfect progressive
-
has been pimpingperfect progressive
Past
-
pimpedsimple
-
had pimpedperfect
-
was pimpingprogressive
-
were pimpingprogressive
-
had been pimpingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pimp
First recorded in 1630–40; origin uncertain
Explanation
A pimp is someone who employs prostitutes — they work for the pimp, who gets a cut of their money. He pimps them. Pimp is a word that has greatly shifted in meaning, as it sometimes means "great" or "cool," as in "That bike is pimp!" However, that's a slang meaning that many people, especially adults, won't understand or like. The main meaning of pimp as the boss of prostitutes is pretty creepy, because prostitution is illegal and pimps are not known for treating their workers very nicely. For some reason, pimps are known for their flashy dress.
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:
My brother and I just bought my car, and we’re like, “How can we pimp it out? We’re gonna get this wrap, we’re gonna get an underglow for it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2023
The Plummer brothers - Tremaine, Tristan and Twaine - opted for a mix of cravats and dicky bows to pimp up their navy blue suits.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2022
A former officer who matched her description of Smith’s partner had died years earlier, as did her pimp.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 14, 2022
While Lafala waits for his money to come through, he swaggers around the tumultuous Quayside, interacts with the dapper Marxist intellectual Etienne St. Dominique and periodically tangles with Aslima’s pimp, Titin, a burly provincial Frenchman.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 5, 2020
Surely one ought to sit in a society like ours— "'Unelbow'd by a gamester, pimp, or player.'"
From Autobiography, Letters and Literary Remains of Mrs. Piozzi (Thrale) (2nd ed.) (2 vols.) Edited with notes and Introductory Account of her life and writings by Hester Lynch Piozzi
Krell is a prosecutor who has specialized in human trafficking and put her share of pimps behind bars.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2023
Another bill, the Sex Trade Survivors Justice & Equality Act, would focus on punishing customers and pimps, in an attempt to strengthen current laws on sex trafficking.
From New York Times ● Jul. 23, 2021
Listening to musicians, lovers, pimps, childhood friends and FBI agents recounting their time with Holiday is an evocative and transportive experience.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 6, 2020
“Anyone who pimps himself out to the M.E.K. fails the litmus test for integrity,” he said.
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 29, 2019
Tom became increasingly adept at dealing with what he called “rascality”: cow rustlers, horse thieves, scalawags, pimps, rumrunners, stagecoach robbers, desperadoes, and other human transgressors.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
There was his iconic bat raise, of course, which marked a stark break from character for someone who proudly claims to have “never pimped a home run.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2025
It could have been a scene from earlier wars, except it was pimped by technology.
From BBC ● May 16, 2022
“That was probably the first time I’ve ever flipped a bat or pimped a home run,” he said.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 7, 2021
Other looks in the collection included shearling-style jackets and oversized trousers with a chevron pattern, while some styles were pimped up with sequins, including a pair of baggy jeans.
From Reuters ● Mar. 9, 2021
Terrell gets dropped off by his brother Mike, who’s driving a pimped BMW with chromed-out rims and tinted windows.
From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick
This is a show that ridicules the genre's feverish dedication to pimping childhood trauma and other excuses for hyper-masculinity by doubling down on the deep friendship that keeps Harley and Ivy firmly rooted.
From Salon ● Feb. 9, 2023
"I don't mind people pimping strikeouts and pimping stuff on the field. I've never been a player like that, but I don't mind it; I love it," Smith said, via ESPN.
From Fox News ● May 1, 2021
It needs to be part of a broader cultural transformation in policing that goes beyond "pimping the programme for publicity", he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2020
In this case, we’re looking at a variation on a well-traveled bogus-check scam, rejiggered to attract people open to pimping their rides for advertising purposes.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2019
“We have a really pimping house,” he informs me.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
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