Jimping is the cutting of grooves or serrations in the grip of a knife to increase traction. Popular areas for the application of jimping include the concave thumb rest, seen on many modern knives, and the spine of the blade. Jimping achieves the increase in traction by increasing the angular force applied in the area as flesh, or fabric in the case of wearing gloves, fills into the gaps. A byproduct of jimping is an increase in traction between the grip and the hand when the grip is wet, due to the grooved nature, it allows a grip to be found much like a road tyre and the grooves also allow the liquid to drain off quicker.

Mainly seen on modern knives, jimping is a relatively new technique and it gained popularity in the mid-to-late-80s.