flipper

[ flip-er ]
See synonyms for: flipperflippers on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a broad, flat limb, as of a seal or whale, especially adapted for swimming.

  2. Also called fin. one of a pair of paddlelike devices, usually of rubber, worn on the feet as an aid in scuba diving and swimming.

  1. Theater. a narrow flat hinged or attached at right angles to a larger flat.

  2. Slang. the hand.

  3. someone or something that flips.

Origin of flipper

1
First recorded in 1815–25; flip1 + -er1

Words Nearby flipper

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use flipper in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for flipper

flipper

/ (ˈflɪpə) /


noun
  1. the flat broad limb of seals, whales, penguins, and other aquatic animals, specialized for swimming

  2. Also called: fin (often plural) either of a pair of rubber paddle-like devices worn on the feet as an aid in swimming, esp underwater

  1. cricket a ball bowled with backspin imparted by the action of the bowler's wrist

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for flipper

flipper

[ flĭpər ]


  1. A wide, flat limb adapted for swimming, found on aquatic animals such as whales, seals, and sea turtles. Flippers evolved from legs.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.