primp
Americanverb (used with object)
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primps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
primped,
past participle, past
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primping
present participle
verb (used without object)
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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
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have primpedperfect
-
has primpedperfect
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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
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were primpingprogressive
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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
Face It: Selfie Vocab
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Death of a Salesman
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Ghost
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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
Welcome to the 2022 Groom Expo West and its centerpiece event, the Andis Creative Styling Competition, where skilled groomers compete live to primp out their poodles into fantastical works of art.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 8, 2022
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
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
Sally primps before the mirror, though I do not.
From New York Times ● Feb. 20, 2014
Stage Note: Quinn applies Telescopic Explosion Mascara and primps in front of the mirror.
From BusinessWeek ● Oct. 14, 2010
A Lee cousin primped up slightly wilted heads of lettuce the way a girl primps a loose finger wave.
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
“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
With the crowd at Madison Square Garden chanting for Daniel the popular golden retriever, judge Bob Slay instead picked the perfectly primped and poised black poodle Tuesday night.
From Washington Times ● Feb. 12, 2020
Rather than any of the 57 goldens entered this year, the best in show bowl is more likely to wind up with a wired wire fox terrier or a perfectly primped poodle.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 10, 2019
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
Even though I've been dressed and measured and primped so many times, I still hate the feeling in these moments that my body doesn't belong to me.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
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
Wasabi’s life is much the same as it ever was, a nonstop schedule of sleeping, eating, primping, romping and reclining.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 21, 2022
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
I called to four of my friends who were primping in front of the restroom’s large lounge mirror.
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
Definitions 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.
