skipper

1 of 3

noun (1)

skip·​per ˈski-pər 

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 

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

Synonyms

Noun (2)

• captain
• commander
• skip

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

Noun

A lot of the blame lay at skipper Rohit Sharma's decision to bat in conditions that were lapped by New Zealand's giddy seamers. —Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024

Cleveland threatened in the bottom of the eighth inning, getting runners on first and second base when Yankees skipper Aaron Boone opted to turn to closer Luke Weaver for a four-out save. —Homero De La Fuente, CNN, 17 Oct. 2024

Verb

Sir Peter Scott skippered the boat, the son of the Antarctic explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott. —Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 4 Oct. 2024

Mike Hendrie, who grew up in Grosse Pointe Farms, will skipper the J-109 Bull with eight crew members, including his father and cousins. —Phoebe Wall Howard, Detroit Free Press, 4 July 2024

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

Kids Definition

skipper

1 of 2 noun

skip·​per ˈskip-ər 

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"