gimp
1 Americannoun
-
a flat trimming of silk, wool, or other cord, sometimes stiffened with wire, for garments, curtains, etc.
-
a coarse thread, usually glazed, employed in lacemaking to outline designs.
noun
noun
-
a limp.
-
Usually Disparaging and Offensive. a term used to refer to a person who limps or is lame.
verb (used without object)
adjective
noun
-
offensive a physically disabled person, esp one who is lame
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slang a sexual fetishist who likes to be dominated and who dresses in a leather or rubber body suit with mask, zips, and chains
noun
Sensitive Note
When describing someone who is lame, gimp is used with disparaging intent and perceived as insulting. But within the disability community, it is sometimes a term of self-reference.
Other Word Forms
- gimpy adjective
Etymology
Origin of gimp1
First recorded in 1655–65; probably from Dutch gimp; further origin unknown
Origin of gimp2
First recorded in 1900–05; origin uncertain
Origin of gimp3
An Americanism dating back to 1920–25; origin uncertain
Explanation
The noun gimp is sometimes used to describe a limp or another physical disability, although it's an outdated and offensive word to use. If you comment on someone's gimp, call the person a gimp, or say, "Look at that guy trying to gimp across the parking lot without his crutches," you've chosen a very objectionable way to talk about a disability. People will know what you mean if you use the word, but they're likely to be offended by it. Gimp was first used in the 1920's, possibly as a combination of limp and gammy, an old slang word for "bad."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A man has been found guilty of causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress after scaring female motorists while dressed in a gimp suit.
From BBC • Oct. 27, 2023
Twin chairs sit opposite the couch, green gimp and nailhead trim adding a stately detail to the delicate pair.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 22, 2023
The overall impression is of a gimp kitten singing Florence + the Machine in purgatory.
From The Guardian • Sep. 29, 2012
The lyrics alone, some authored by a cloistered Poor Clare nun with whom Miss White had to confer through a veiled grille, made many a gimp limp in her audience and dimpled many a wimple.
From Time Magazine Archive
Under this heading some general account may be given of gold and silver strips, threads and gimp used in connexion with varieties of weaving, embroidery and twisting and plaiting or lace work.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 2 "Gloss" to "Gordon, Charles George" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
