skipper

1 of 3

noun (1)

skip·​per ˈski-pər How to pronounce skipper (audio)
1
: any of various erratically active insects (such as a click beetle or a water strider)
2
: one that skips
3
: saury
4
: any of a superfamily (Hesperioidea, especially family Hesperiidae) of lepidopterous insects that visibly differ from the typical butterflies especially in having stout bodies, smaller wings, and usually hooked antennae

skipper

2 of 3

noun (2)

1
: the master of a ship
especially : the master of a fishing, small trading, or pleasure boat
2
: the captain or first pilot of an airplane
3
: a person in a position of leadership
especially : a baseball team's manager

skipper

3 of 3

verb

skip·​per
skippered; skippering ˈski-p(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce skipper (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to act as skipper of (a boat or ship)
2
: to act as the principal coach or manager of
skipper a team

Examples of skipper in a Sentence

Noun (2) we asked the skipper how long it would be before we reached port Verb The boat was skippered by a skilled veteran sailor. He skippered the team to their latest World Series win.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The Los Angeles Dodgers skipper ranks first at .627. Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 21 Nov. 2024 Here are 5 things to know about the next Sox skipper: Venable stopped playing in 2016 and was scooped up by then-Cubs general manager Theo Epstein to be an assistant in the GM's office. Justin Kaufmann, Axios, 30 Oct. 2024
Verb
Dan Burn, however, is likely to skipper the team as a left-sided centre-half. Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 14 Aug. 2024 Sir Peter Scott skippered the boat, the son of the Antarctic explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott. Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for skipper 

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

Middle English, from Middle Dutch schipper, from schip ship; akin to Old English scip ship — more at ship

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1893, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of skipper was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near skipper

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

skipper

1 of 2 noun
skip·​per ˈskip-ər How to pronounce skipper (audio)
1
: one that skips
2
: any of various insects that differ from the related butterflies especially in having stout bodies, smaller wings, and usually antennae with curved ends

skipper

2 of 2 noun
: the master of a ship
especially : the master of a fishing, small trading, or pleasure boat
Etymology

Noun

skip (verb) and -er (noun suffix)

Noun

Middle English skipper "the master of a ship," from early Dutch schipper (same meaning), from schip "ship"

More from Merriam-Webster on skipper

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