pimp

1 of 2

noun

ˈpimp 

plural pimps

: a person and especially a man who controls one or more sex workers, arranges clients for them, and takes a cut of their earnings

pimp

2 of 2

verb

pimped; pimping; pimps

transitive verb

1

: to make use of often dishonorably for one's own gain or benefit

2

informal : to customize and adorn (something, such as a car or apartment) in an ostentatious or lavish way

Their backhoe had four spotlights on a bar above the cab, the same way kids pimped their pick-up trucks, and together the four beams made a wide pool of halogen brightness.

—Lee Child

—often used with out

This is a parallel world where teenagers pimp out their motorboats, customizing them with dazzling LED lights and powerful stereo systems …

—Leo Barraclough

Foreign buyers—many of them anonymous—have poured cash into Miami's real-estate market for years. Think mansions priced at over $20 million, condos pimped out with private rooftop pools, and spec houses with wild extras.

—Raisa Bruner

intransitive verb

: to work as a pimp

Synonyms

Noun

• cadet [slang]
• procurer

Verb

• use
• abuse
• exploit
• leverage
• manipulate

Examples of pimp in a Sentence

Noun

the sting operation nabbed 15 prostitutes and two pimps

Verb

a movie actress who pimped everybody she ever met as she clawed her way to the top

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

And then there’s also Sly Stone, the street cat, the hostler, the pimp, the conniver, sly as a fox and cold as a stone … that’s the strutter, the street dude who walks up there with that charisma that holds an audience captive, right? —Timothy Crouse, Rolling Stone, 9 June 2025

Roles on the frontier shifted constantly: Gunfighters became marshals, cowboys became killers, pimps became lawmen. —Paul Begala, New York Times, 31 May 2025

Verb

Chen was arrested on suspicion of operating a house of ill fame, pimping and pandering, according to police records. —Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 16 June 2025

Officers then arrested Townsend on suspicion of pimping. —Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 23 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably akin to British dialect pimp small bundle of sticks, Middle English pymple papule, German Pimpf young boy, kid, literally, little fart, Pumpf, Pumps fart

First Known Use

Noun

1600, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1640, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for pimp

• blimp
• chimp
• crimp
• imp
• limp
• shrimp
• skimp
• wimp

Legal Definition

pimp

1 of 2 noun

ˈpimp 

: one who derives income from the earnings of a prostitute usually by soliciting business compare panderer

pimp

2 of 2 intransitive verb

: to work as a pimp compare pandering