as in to dress
to try to make yourself more attractive by making small changes to your clothes, hair, etc., especially while looking at yourself in a mirror
The teenagers spent hours primping in front of the mirror on the day of the prom.
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Recent Examples of primp
Seymour shared a glimpse of the show’s backstage glamour as she was dressed and primped for the catwalk.
—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon, Fox News, 22 Feb. 2025
Image Image In Dili, the capital, streets were scrubbed and walls freshly painted to primp for the papal trip.
—Sui-Lee Wee, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
Handlers at the 2024 National Dog Show Presented by Purina spoke exclusively with PEOPLE about getting different breeds ready for the big event and the amount of primping required.
—Marina Watts, People.com, 28 Nov. 2024
Photographed by Clémence Polès The next couple of hours felt like a rom-com montage—a bunch of girls playing, primping, and posing for pictures.
—Jessie Heyman, Vogue, 15 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for primp
Stephanie Giang-Paunon, Fox News, 22 Feb. 2025
Image Image In Dili, the capital, streets were scrubbed and walls freshly painted to primp for the papal trip.
—Sui-Lee Wee, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
Handlers at the 2024 National Dog Show Presented by Purina spoke exclusively with PEOPLE about getting different breeds ready for the big event and the amount of primping required.
—Marina Watts, People.com, 28 Nov. 2024
Photographed by Clémence Polès The next couple of hours felt like a rom-com montage—a bunch of girls playing, primping, and posing for pictures.
—Jessie Heyman, Vogue, 15 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for primp
Recent Examples of Synonyms for primp
Verb
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Event highlights include a Children’s Legacy Parade, where kids dress in their ancestors’ pioneer-era clothing of 1847 and march around the Old Town Plaza, honoring their ancestors courage and service.—
Linda Mcintosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Jan. 2026
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All three chose to go against the grain, dressing in off-white looks and standing out in the crowd of dark designs sported by much of Owen’s front-row following.—
Alex Wynne,
Footwear News,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This mourning is also steeped in a deep appreciation for young Tabitha and a wistful wish that 1980s Trinbago had allowed that young girl to adorn her crown, to preen in its beauty, to relish in its versatility, to just live as a young Black multiracial woman.—
Tabitha St. Bernard-Jacobs,
Parents,
2 Dec. 2025
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Its hero, Lee Raybon, played by Ethan Hawke, is a The Dude–esque detective-journalist, its baddies (played by Kyle MacLachlan, Paul Sparks, and Tracy Letts) glower and preen, and Keith David’s uneasy sidekick swings between humor and gravitas.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
1 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Primp.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/primp. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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