gimp

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈgimp 

plural gimps

1

offensive : a disabled person

2

: limp

She walks with a gimp in one leg …

—Damon Runyon

gimp

2 of 4

verb

gimped; gimping; gimps

intransitive verb

: limp, hobble

gimping up the stairs

gimp

3 of 4

noun (2)

plural gimps

: an ornamental flat braid or round cord used as a trimming

gimp

4 of 4

noun (3)

plural gimps

: spirit, vim

And if I had an ounce of gimp in me I'd see that he was suspended from the force.

—Atlantic Monthly

Examples of gimp in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The actor and comedian recently spoke to British GQ and addressed a rumor that Watson stormed off the set of the 2013 comedy after refusing to shoot a particularly wild scene involving Danny McBride playing a cannibal and Channing Tatum as his gimp. —Rachel Yang, EW.com, 30 Mar. 2021

But none of her far-out artistic excursions have included having her hands bound while a leather masked gimp tickles her with a feather, shocks her feet and being locked in place while Kraft Punk pours a bucket of Velveeta on her head. —Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 11 Nov. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

origin unknown

Noun (2)

perhaps from Dutch

Noun (3)

perhaps from gimp fish line strengthened with wire

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1931, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1664, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1882, in the meaning defined above