flipper

noun

flip·​per ˈfli-pər 

plural flippers

1

a

: a broad flat limb (as of a seal or cetacean) adapted for swimming

b

: a flat shoe (as of rubber or silicone) with the front expanded into a paddle that is used to aid movement through water (as in snorkeling or scuba diving)

called also fin, swim fin

2

: someone or something that flips or is used in flipping

spatulas and pancake flippers

pinball flippers

He worked as a burger flipper.

A flipper is a person who changes TV channels just to see what else is on.

—Springfield (Massachusetts) Morning Union

He also interviews house "flippers" who buy cheap property with an eye toward making some inexpensive improvements to spruce it up and then quickly "flipping" it, or reselling it at a value-added price for a tidy profit.

—James Prichard

Examples of flipper in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Manufacturers implemented rule changes to stay within the law, but things really took off after a game called Humpty Dumpty in 1947 made a minor addition that changed everything: the flipper. —Tim Stevens, Ars Technica, 6 Jan. 2025

While the world’s top golfers shake off any offseason rust with their opening drives, PGA Tour Live feed flippers tuning in will get their first taste of the Tour’s new content hub in action. —Mike Dojc, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2025

And the person who is usually credited in such a scenario is not the person who flipped — who is often seen as easily manipulated — but rather the person who convinced that flipper to flip (which, in this case, would be Sam and Genevieve). —Dalton Ross, EW.com, 5 Dec. 2024

Finally, through years of swimming at an awkward 45-degree angle, the turtle mostly used its fore flippers, which led to atrophy of the hind limbs. —Ars Technica, 21 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

flipper

noun

flip·​per ˈflip-ər 

1

: a broad flat limb (as of a seal or whale) used for swimming

2

: a flat rubber shoe with the front widened into a paddle for use in skin diving