Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

wimp

/wɪmp/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.72 in modern English

Syllables
wimp
IPA
/wɪmp/
11
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Someone who lacks confidence or courage, is weak, ineffectual, irresolute and wishy-washy.

Derogatory; Slang

verb

To behave submissively.

Intransitive verb; Slang

verb

To make (something) weak or wimpy.

Slang; Transitive verb

adj

Weak, wimpy.

Slang

noun

Alternative letter-case form of WIMP.

noun

Acronym of weakly interacting massive particle.

Countable

noun

Acronym of window, icon, menu, pointer, a graphical interface paradigm.

Uncountable

noun

Acronym of window-icon-mouse program.

Countable

Example Sentences

Etymology

Possibly a clipping of whimper. The term was understood in the United States by the 1930s, as it was incorporated into the names of two famous media characters known for living up to that name: The devious but cowardly Popeye supporting-character called "J. Wellington Wimpy", and the soft-spoken character "Wallace Wimple" from the radio show Fibber McGee and Molly.

Usage

Inflected Forms

wimps (plural) whimp (alternative) wimps (present, singular) wimping (participle, present) wimped (participle, past) wimped (past) more wimp (comparative) most wimp (superlative)

Derived Forms

wimpish wimply wimpy WIMPzilla superWIMP

Phrases

wimp out wimp rock post-WIMP

Frequently Paired Words

MACHO RAMBO SIMP

Synonyms

sissy softy weenie wuss big girl's blouse candy-arse candy-ass crybaby milksop milquetoast namby namby-pamby

Rhymes With

shrimp pimp limp imp chimp blimp crimp skimp scrimp primp shimp gimp

Questions

How do you pronounce wimp?
The recorded pronunciation is /wɪmp/.
What does wimp mean?
Someone who lacks confidence or courage, is weak, ineffectual, irresolute and wishy-washy.
Where does wimp come from?
Possibly a clipping of whimper. The term was understood in the United States by the 1930s, as it was incorporated into the names of two famous media characters known for living up to that name: The devious but cowardly Popeye supporting-character called "J. Wellington Wimpy", and the soft-spoken character "Wallace Wimple" from the radio show Fibber McGee and Molly.

How to pronounce wimp

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “wimp”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/wɪmp/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “wimp”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “wimp” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.