simp

1 of 2

noun

ˈsimp How to pronounce simp (audio)
plural simps
Synonyms of simpnext
1
informal : a foolish or stupid person : simpleton
… Forrest Gump, the smash movie starring Tom Hanks, as a sweet simp from Alabama who rides to fame and fortune on an IQ of 75.—Peter Travers
The … line inching up the bottom of the chart shows the pitiful returns for the simps whose investments are taxed every year.—Virginia Wilson
It has always been difficult to grasp how Louise, a simp in the first two-thirds of the show, could become such a swan in the final act.—Hilton Als
2
a
informal + often disparaging : someone (especially a man) who shows excessive concern, attention, or deference toward a romantic partner or love interest
… multiple videos offering examples of what makes someone a simp, like wearing a nice outfit to school and hoping your crush notices only for them to be absent.—Magdalene Taylor
Being respectful does not make you a simp. Stop calling guys simps for being decent towards women.—@Maddynf, on X, formerly Twitter
"I'm a simp," admits 38-year-old actor Namit Das. "I'm vulnerable in love. And, why shouldn't I be? We only have one life. Wear your heart on your sleeve."—Karishma Kuenzang
A man has been applauded for allowing his wife's ex-husband to visit her in the hospital. … Though he said his friends have called him a "simp," he feels like he "did good" as it is a "difficult situation" for everyone …—Jack Beresford
b
informal : someone who has a marked fondness or desire for something : fool sense 3b
… as a simp for multifunctional appliances, I was enamored off the bat.—Morgan Sung

simp

2 of 2

verb

simped; simping; simps

intransitive verb

informal
: to show excessive devotion to or longing for someone or something
[Dakota] Johnson plays Anne Elliot, a particularly regretful Austen heroine still simping over her 'ex' …—Rohan Naahar
—usually used with for
He simps for women that don't reciprocate his feelings, and puts them on a pedestal.—Rayan Sayyed
Look, I don't simp for Sony and pretend like the PlayStation is the greatest gaming invention of all time, but I've generally preferred it over Xbox.—Sergio Pereira
A Brazilian influencer has taken simping for the richest man on earth to a new level by getting Elon Musk's name … tattooed across his forehead.—John James

Synonyms

Noun

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of simp in a Sentence

Noun don't assume that all teenagers are simps when it comes to making financial decisions

Word History

Etymology

Noun

short for simple entry 1 or simpleton

Note: Sense 2 may be of independent origin. It has been explained as a blend of sissy and pimp entry 1 or a truncation of sympathy, sympathetic entry 1, or simper entry 1. A timeline documenting the use of simp in rap lyrics, beginning in 1987, is available at therightrhymes.com. See also the discussions in Ezra Marcus and Jonah Engel Bromwich, "A Short History of 'Simp'," New York Times, July 7, 2020; and in the article "Simp" at knowyourmeme.com. The Times article claims that the rapper Too Short used the word in raps "as early as 1985," but a search of available lyrics from his albums turns up no evidence for simp before 1988, and then only as a verb. The article also claims that "the word thrived" in blaxploitation films of the 1970's without giving any specifics. The verb simp entry 2 appears to be a derivative of simp entry 1, though it is attested earlier than the corresponding sense of the noun, in the lexicon resulting from a college undergraduate slang study carried out by the Brown University Department of Linguistics in 1967-68 ("be excessively submissive to your girl friend [sic]"—see Green's Dictionary of Slang, online).

Verb

perhaps derivative of simp entry 1

Note: See note at simp entry 1.

First Known Use

Noun

1903, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1968, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of simp was in 1903

Dictionary Entries Near simp

simous

simp

simpai

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Simp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/simp. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
little chihuahua dressing like a turkey for thanksgiving
Is That Gratitude or Attitude? A Thanksgiving Quiz Decide which words express gratitude and which gi...