clipper

American  

[klip-er] / ˈklɪp ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that clips or cuts.

2. (often used with a plural verb) Often clippers. a cutting tool, especially shears.

   hedge clippers.

3. (usually used with a plural verb) Usually clippers. a mechanical or electric tool for cutting hair, fingernails, or the like.

   He told the barber, “No clippers on the sides, please.”

4. Also called clipper ship.  Nautical. a sailing ship built and rigged for speed, especially a type of three-masted ship with a fast hull form and a lofty rig, built in the U.S. from c1845, and in Great Britain from a later date, until c1870, and used in trades in which speed was more important than cargo capacity.

5. Electronics. a device that gives output only for an input above or below a certain critical value.

6. a person or thing that moves along swiftly.

---

clipper British  

/ ˈklɪpə /

noun

1. any fast sailing ship

2. a person or thing that cuts or clips

3. something, such as a horse or sled, that moves quickly

4. electronics another word for limiter

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unclipper
  noun

Etymology

Origin of clipper

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at clip ¹, -er ¹

Explanation

Use the noun clipper when you're talking about an old-fashioned ship with many masts and sails. Although clippers were mostly used in the nineteenth century for carrying goods across oceans, you can still see them in various harbors today. The name clipper came from the verb clip, which can mean "to move or run rapidly." An entirely different meaning of clipper is the kind you use to trim your toenails or the weeds along the edge of your driveway.

Example Sentences

NASA’s Dragonfly mission will sail for Titan as soon as 2028, and the agency’s Europa Clipper spacecraft arrives in the Jupiter system in 2030.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Despite the sobering conclusions, Byrne remains enthusiastic about future exploration, particularly NASA's Europa Clipper mission, which is scheduled to fly past the moon in the spring of 2031.

From Science Daily • Jan. 7, 2026

"Chris is a legendary Clipper who has had a historic career. I want to make one thing very clear. No one is blaming Chris for our underperformance," Frank said.

From Barron's • Dec. 3, 2025

But with both Clipper and Psyche now in space and Mars Sample Return shelved, the lab couldn’t find roles for some of the projects’ workers.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 19, 2025

On July 1, after a week of working out and relaxing in Poughkeepsie, the boys packed up their possessions, loaded the Husky Clipper onto a baggage car, and headed for the 1936 U.S.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown