What does "pimp" mean?
Someone who solicits customers for prostitution and acts as manager for a group of prostitutes; a pander.
Pimp
/pɪmp/ adj, noun, num, verb, slang
adj, noun, num, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Someone who solicits customers for prostitution and acts as manager for a group of prostitutes; a pander.
- Grammar: pimp is listed as adj, noun, num, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: pandar, pander, procurer, abbot.
- Useful contrasts: avoid, client, customer.
- Usage evidence: I found out that he was a pimp.
How to use "pimp"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "pimp" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "pimp" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "pimp" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "pimp" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "pimp" is acting as adj, noun, num, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "pandar" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "pimp", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Someone who solicits customers for prostitution and acts as manager for a group of prostitutes; a pander.
"A fella looking dapper / And he's sittin' with a slapper / Then I see it's a pimp / And his crack whore"
- 2 someone who procures customers for whores (in England they call a pimp a ponce) wordnet
- 3 A man who can easily attract women. slang
Verb
- 1 To act as a procurer of prostitutes; to pander. intransitive
- 2 arrange for sexual partners for others wordnet
- 3 To prostitute someone. transitive
"The smooth-talking, tall man with heavy gold bracelets claimed he could pimp anyone."
- 4 To excessively customize something, especially a vehicle. slang, transitive
"You pimped out that motorcycle f'real, dawg."
- 5 To ask progressively harder and ultimately unanswerable questions of a resident or medical student (said of a senior member of the medical staff). slang, transitive
"Only an attending physician can pimp a chief resident; the chief resident and attending can pimp a junior resident; they all three can pimp an intern."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To promote, to tout. US, slang, transitive
"I gotta show you this sweet website where you can pimp your blog and get more readers."
- 7 To persuade, smooth talk or trick another into doing something for your benefit. US, slang
"I pimped her out of $2,000 and she paid for the entire stay at the Bahamas."
Adjective
- 1 Excellent, fashionable, stylish. slang
Numeral
- 1 Five in Cumbrian and Welsh sheep counting.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"I found out that he was a pimp."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "pimp"?
Common synonyms include: pandar, pander, procurer, abbot, backslider, bad egg.
How do you use "pimp" in a sentence?
I found out that he was a pimp.
How do you pronounce "pimp"?
Pronounced /pɪmp/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Origin unknown. Perhaps from French pimpant (“smart, sparkish”) or German Pimpf (“boy, youth, young squirt”). The Old English near-synonym was rendered by Old English forspennend (literally “solicitor”).
Etymology 2
From Brythonic numerals, from Proto-Brythonic *pɨmp. Cognate with Welsh pump, Cornish pymp, Breton pemp. Doublet of cinque, fin (“five currency units”), finnuf, five, ponzu, punch (“beverage”), and sengi (“currency”); related to Pompeii.