simp

A simp is someone who does way too much for a person they are attracted to, usually without getting much back. To simp is to act that way: excessive compliments, gifts, attention or agreement, all to win someone over.

What does simp mean?

Calling someone a simp is a tease or an insult. It suggests they are overly eager, putting someone on a pedestal or giving up their dignity for a crush, a streamer or a celebrity. Plenty of people use it about themselves jokingly too: “I’m such a simp for this character.”

It is mostly aimed at men, but anyone can be called a simp, and in fandom it often just means being openly obsessed with someone.

How to use it

• “He bought her concert tickets, flowers and a new phone, and they’re not even dating. Total simp.”
• “Stop simping in the streamer’s chat.”
• “I simp for this fictional character and I’m not ashamed.”
• “Being nice to your girlfriend isn’t simping.”

Where it comes from

“Simp” is an old English word, short for “simpleton,” meaning a foolish person. It shows up in hip-hop with a sense close to today’s, someone who is soft or too eager in romance, and it exploded on TikTok and social media around 2019 and 2020, when calling things “simp behavior” became a massive meme.

Is simp an insult?

Often, yes, though it’s usually light. It can also be used to shame normal kindness or affection, which is why some people push back on it, especially when it is aimed at men being respectful.

Related terms

• down bad: desperate, especially romantically
• rizz: charm, what a simp often lacks
• situationship: a relationship with no label
• pick-me: someone desperate for approval
• stan: a devoted fan

See more terms like this in our dating slang dictionary.