VIP
Americanabbreviation
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very important person
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visually impaired person
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vasoactive intestinal peptide: a polypeptide secreted by the small intestine during digestion and also found in the brain as a neurotransmitter: large amounts in the blood cause diarrhoea
Usage
What does VIP mean? VIP (or V. I. P.) is an abbreviation of very important person. VIP is an informal way to refer to someone who is notable in some way and is given special treatment in a particular setting. It is also used to describe things involving special access for such people, as in phrases like VIP treatment or VIP pass. The plural of VIP is VIPs. Example: The hotel provides additional security for the rooms reserved by VIPs like heads of state.
Etymology
Origin of VIP
First recorded in 1940–45
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.
Everyone already pays $10-$15 month for streaming services, so there is new emphasis on merch and VIP experiences.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
Hosted by captain David Beckham and his Spice Girl wife Victoria at their Hertfordshire mansion, this was a lavish VIP party that could have been mistaken for a World Cup-winning celebration.
From BBC • May 10, 2026
Waterfront experience with ticket: $5 per ticket, with VIP options available.
From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026
The memecoin’s 29 biggest holders were invited to a VIP reception with the president.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026
They are ushered into waiting taxis and down VIP Road, past a colossal landfill and into the heart of North Calcutta.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
