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

Even more exciting, Page Turner, a real estate expert, flipper, and designer, will join the coming season as a designer. —Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 8 Feb. 2025

The flippers provided a bit of a surprise, as researchers were not expecting to find scales. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Feb. 2025

This is the company that introduced the flipper in 1947 and kept making games through to the mid-'90s. —Tim Stevens, Ars Technica, 6 Jan. 2025

Another TikTok user posted a video of their partner awkwardly walking towards water while wearing flippers. —Daniel S. Levine, People.com, 13 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for flipper

• chipper
• clipper
• dipper
• gripper
• kipper
• nipper
• ripper
• shipper
• skipper
• slipper
• stripper
• tipper

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