pimp

American  

[pimp] / pɪmp /

noun

1. a person, especially a man, who solicits customers for a prostitute or a brothel, usually in return for a share of the earnings; panderer; procurer.

2. a despicable person.

3. Australia and New Zealand. an informer; stool pigeon.

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verb (used without object)

1. to act as a pimp, soliciting customers for a prostitute or brothel in return for a share of the earnings.

2. to engage in promotion or publicizing.

   She's used her blog before to pimp for her brother's band.

verb (used with object)

1. 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.

2. to promote; sell.

   We'll send you albums and pimp your websites on ours.

3. to exploit.

   You've been accused of pimping your friendships, using them as material for your novels.

4. 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.

5. 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.

pimp ¹ British  

/ pɪmp /

noun

1. a man who solicits for a prostitute or brothel and lives off the earnings

2. a man who procures sexual gratification for another; procurer; pander

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verb

1. (intr) to act as a pimp

2. slang (tr) to adapt or embellish in an ostentatious manner

pimp ² British  

/ pɪmp /

noun

1. a spy or informer

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verb

1. to inform (on)

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

Lamar told the crowd at the Hey Neighbor festival that his 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly was inspired by his first visit to South Africa.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 11, 2023

Albert Hughes — one half of the Hughes Brothers — is known for putting out classic films that exposed the many social ills in America, like "Menace II Society," "American Pimp" and "Dead Presidents."

From Salon • Oct. 6, 2023

The trio heavily sculpted the sound of Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly,” the most critically acclaimed hip-hop album of the 2010s.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2023

Kendrick’s canon in persona includes “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst,” from “good kid, m.A.A.d city,” and “Institutionalized,” from “To Pimp a Butterfly,” in which he embodies disaffected dudes in the hood.

From New York Times • Dec. 27, 2022

But it was West Indian Archie and Sammy the Pimp for whom I was primarily looking.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

Related Words

• hustler