primp
Americanverb (used with object)
-
primps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
primped,
past participle, past
-
primping
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
primps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
primped,
past participle, past
-
primping
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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primpsimple
-
primpssimple
-
have primpedperfect
-
has primpedperfect
-
am primpingprogressive
-
are primpingprogressive
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is primpingprogressive
-
have been primpingperfect progressive
-
has been primpingperfect progressive
Past
-
primpedsimple
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had primpedperfect
-
was primpingprogressive
-
were primpingprogressive
-
had been primpingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of primp
First recorded in 1795–1805; akin to prim 1
Explanation
Primp is a word that is best illustrated by girls getting ready for a ball––it means to groom yourself elaborately. Primp is a word that was very popular in the 19th century. In "Little Women" and other novels by Louisa May Alcott, girls waste much time primping, when they ought to be grooming their character and thinking about their behavior instead.
Vocabulary lists containing primp
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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:
Contestants primp and pose for what they think will be selfies, never suspecting that to those running the game, they’re just a face and a number.
From Salon ● Dec. 26, 2024
Q: I see other celebrities on Instagram and they'll primp themselves and be all done up.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 29, 2021
Pardew was hired with a brief to unlock the talents of some ambitious signings, relax his players, primp the brand.
From The Guardian ● May 12, 2018
The ladies smiled and pretended to primp their hair, like Betty Boops of the Regency.
From Slate ● Mar. 6, 2018
Not to primp, comb his hair, shave, or to practice sneering.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
That’s a lot of what hairstylist Kayla Gowell hears as she snips, sprays, primps and blow-dries.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 17, 2024
"Tonight is the first day of the rest of my life," the man says as he primps expectantly.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2023
Dusting her cheeks with powder as she primps before the mirror, Claire demands her dress and her jewels while hurling steaming streams of scornful abuse at her sister — whom she refers to as Claire.
From New York Times ● Mar. 16, 2012
Stage Note: Quinn applies Telescopic Explosion Mascara and primps in front of the mirror.
From BusinessWeek ● Oct. 14, 2010
“Well”—the Doctorita shrugs—“either way, she’s definitely becoming a teenager, the way she primps in front of a mirror for an hour before she goes out. Even to buy a bag of eggs!”
From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau
“You don’t even have to get up and get dressed and get yourself all primped up. You just put on your headset. I’m legit in pajamas right now.”
From New York Times ● Oct. 7, 2022
He didn’t look like the 2,500 perfectly primped pooches around him.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 14, 2021
And in isolation it really is a wonderfully seductive wash-job, unprecedented in its beauty, every surface primped and preened and buffed.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 24, 2018
Basic civility used to be taught at home and school, but that was in the days before our little Einsteins were primped, coddled and treated like celebrities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 19, 2018
CUT TO: Montage — Charlie getting primped and powdered and squeezed into a tight black dress.
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
The drama approaches dark farce as Madame flings around her bedroom in a frenzy of dressing and primping.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
The film begins on an exultant note, with a bravura traveling shot following Alana down a line of junior high-schoolers waiting to have their yearbook photographs taken, offering a mirror for last-minute primping.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 21, 2021
Yet clipping is a far more clearcut action than "primping."
From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2021
Even before wrapping up the most glamorous season of the year, workers say that business is down by as much as two-thirds, while the regulars primping themselves with scrubs or treatments have virtually disappeared.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2021
Max Myer, the meteorologist at one of the local TV stations, was checking himself in a hand mirror, prepping and primping to be the celebrity quizmaster.
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
