pimp
/pɪmp/noun, verb, adjective, number
pimp is spelled P-I-M-P: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 2.7 times per million words in written English, the 16,455th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, pimp means “Someone who solicits customers for prostitution and acts as manager for a group of prostitutes; a pander” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pimp is pimps.
How many letters and syllables are in pimp?
| Letters | 4: P-I-M-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.7 times per million words; the 16,455th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is pimp?
Pimp appears 2.7 times per million words in written English, the 16,455th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce pimp?
- /pɪmp/
Pimp has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-ca-pimp.oga, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of pimp
- pimps plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- pimping participle, present
- pimped participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pimp mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Someone who solicits customers for prostitution and acts as manager for a group of prostitutes; a pander.
- 2
slangA man who can easily attract women.
verb
- 1
To act as a procurer of prostitutes; to pander.
- 2
To prostitute someone.
The smooth-talking, tall man with heavy gold bracelets claimed he could pimp anyone.
- 3
slangTo excessively customize something, especially a vehicle.
You pimped out that motorcycle f'real, dawg.
- 4
slangTo ask progressively harder and ultimately unanswerable questions of a resident or medical student (said of a senior member of the medical staff).
- 5
USslangTo promote, to tout.
I gotta show you this sweet website where you can pimp your blog and get more readers.
- 6
USslangTo persuade, smooth talk or trick another into doing something for your benefit.
I pimped her out of $2,000 and she paid for the entire stay at the Bahamas.
adjective
- 1
slangExcellent, fashionable, stylish.
number
- 1
Five in Cumbrian and Welsh sheep counting.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pimp in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | souteneur, maquereau, mac, proxénète , prostituer, maquereller |
| German | Zuhälter, Lude, Kuppler , prostituieren |
| Portuguese | cafetão, proxeneta, safado, chulo, alcoviteiro , cafetinar |
| Spanish | chulo, proxeneta, rufián, cafiche, cabrón, padrote |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does pimp come from?
Origin unknown. Perhaps from French pimpant (“smart, sparkish”) or German Pimpf (“a boy, a youth, a young squirt”). The Old English near-synonym was rendered by Old English forspennend (literally “a solicitor”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).