chopper

American  

[chop-er] / ˈtʃɒp ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that chops.

2. a short ax with a large blade, used for cutting up meat, fish, etc.; butcher's cleaver.

3. a prehistoric implement made by striking flakes off one or both sides of a stone, considered the oldest known worked stone tool.

4. Slang. choppers, the teeth.

5. Informal. a helicopter.

6. Slang. a motorcycle.

7. a device for interrupting an electric current or a beam of light at regular intervals.

---

verb (used without object)

1. Informal.

   1. to travel by helicopter.

      We choppered into midtown from the airport.

   2. to travel by motorcycle.

chopper British  

/ ˈtʃɒpə /

noun

1. a small hand axe

2. a butcher's cleaver

3. a person or thing that cuts or chops

4. an informal name for a helicopter

5. a slang name for penis

6. a device for periodically interrupting an electric current or beam of radiation to produce a pulsed current or beam See also vibrator

7. a type of bicycle or motorcycle with very high handlebars and an elongated saddle

8. a child's bicycle

9. obsolete a sub-machine-gun

---

chopper Scientific  

/ chŏp′ər /

1. A crudely flaked, unifacial core tool, especially one associated with the Oldowan stone culture of the early Paleolithic Period.

---

Etymology

Origin of chopper

1545–55; 1950–55 chopper for def. 5; chop ¹ + -er ¹

Example Sentences

From the Skywalkers’ fussy protocol droid C-3PO to Hera Syndulla’s cranky astromech Chopper, lovable androids are a “Star Wars” signature.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 4, 2025

They then analyzed its single-ion magnetic state with SNS's Wide-Angular-Range Chopper Spectrometer.

From Science Daily • Nov. 17, 2023

Debbie Kempf, store director at Cosentino’s Price Chopper in St. Joseph, Missouri, said the store sees an increase in sales as the jackpot gets bigger.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 17, 2023

Mr Karen, who lived in Cambridge, worked on the cult classic Raleigh Chopper, as well as the Bond Bug car and marble run toy.

From BBC • Jan. 11, 2023

She had auburn hair, a curvy figure, a buoyant disposition, a quick mind, and a family cat named Chopper.

From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand