Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

wimp

1 American  
[wimp] / wɪmp /

noun

Informal.

  1. a weak, ineffectual, timid person.

verb phrase

  1. wimp out

    1. to be or act like a wimp.

    2. to show timidity or cowardice; chicken out.

WIMP 2 American  
[wimp] / wɪmp /

noun

  1. any of a group of weakly interacting elementary particles predicted by various unified field theories, as the W particle and Z-zero particle, that are characterized by relatively large masses.

wimp 1 British  
/ wɪmp /

noun

  1. informal a feeble ineffective person See also wimp out

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
WIMP 2 British  
/ wɪmp /

acronym

  1. windows, icons, menus ( or mice), pointers: denoting a type of user-friendly screen display used on small computers

    a WIMP system

  2. physics weakly interacting massive particle

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
WIMP Scientific  
/ wĭmp /

  1. Short for weakly interacting massive particle. Any of various hypothetical particles, some predicted by certain theories such as supersymmetry, which interact with other particles by the force of gravity alone. WIMPs are considered by some scientists to be candidates for the dark matter that makes up much of the mass of the universe.

Other Word Forms

  • wimpish adjective

Etymology

Origin of wimp1

An Americanism dating back to 1915–20; origin uncertain; whimper

Origin of WIMP1

1985–90; W(eakly) I(nteracting) M(assive) P(article)

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.

As I walked into the medical clinic for my blood test, all I could think about was how to avoid looking like a wimp on camera.

From BBC

I’ve never felt comfortable crying in front of family because I didn’t want them to think that I’m a big wimp.

From Literature

The kind of ace who harks back to a time when “bullpen days” didn’t exist, relieving was for wimps and starters were expected to serve as their own closers.

From The Wall Street Journal

He reacted and Scarlett "jokingly" called him a wimp, Ms Hall says.

From BBC

“I am a wimp,” Martindale confessed as she pushed some eggs around her plate.

From New York Times

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.