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• piper
  piper

  noun

  a person who plays on a pipe.
• Piper
  Piper

  noun

  John. 1903–92, British artist. An official war artist in World War II, he is known esp for his watercolours of bombed churches and his stained glass in Coventry Cathedral

piper

American  

[pahy-per] / ˈpaɪ pər /

noun

• pipers
  plural

1. 

   a person who plays on a pipe.

2. a bagpiper.

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idioms

1. pay the piper,

   1. to pay the cost of something.

   2. to bear the unfavorable consequences of one's actions or pleasures.

      Someday he'll have to pay the piper for all that gambling.

piper ¹ British  

/ ˈpaɪpə /

noun

1. a person who plays a pipe or bagpipes

2. to bear the cost of an undertaking and control it

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Piper ² British  

/ ˈpaɪpə /

noun

1. John. 1903–92, British artist. An official war artist in World War II, he is known esp for his watercolours of bombed churches and his stained glass in Coventry Cathedral

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piper More Idioms  

1. see call the tune (pay the piper).

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pipers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of piper

before 1000; Middle English; Old English pīpere. See pipe ¹, -er ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

piper Piper pipers

“Not Trad” is overtly Celtic, with a marching melody that could be played by a piper and a thumping drum that seems appropriate for a celebration.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026

A neo-traditionalist and pied piper for the New York downtown set, Keith and his nine lives most recently turned to Instagram after a stroke impaired his ability to speak.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025

So to some degree, it’s a question of when the piper will be paid, not if the piper will be paid.

From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2025

"There was a piper playing outside, and all these well dressed people, so I thought I was in the right place."

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2025

But really, if you commit a crime you have to pay the piper, what did she expect?

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

The Piper Tomahawk II aircraft took off from Glasgow Airport on Friday afternoon at 16:17.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Piper Sandler’s Johnson also highlighted that the index’s chart depicts that those who bought tech stocks after the Nasdaq’s breakout to the late-September and early-October record highs got duped.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

Piper Sandler was formed through the 2020 merger of Piper Jaffray and Sandler O’Neill & Partners, two investment banks known for advising smaller and midsize companies on deals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

My friend Tamia Boyd said she didn’t know that mild tartar buildup on the teeth of her 11-year-old Maltese-Yorkie-poodle mix, Piper, counted as a pre-existing condition.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

Jason, Piper, and Nico stood on the near side of the chasm, which was good, but they were surrounded by a ring of Cyclopes and hellhounds.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Serving military personnel, the grandson of British Commander Field Marshal Montgomery and pipers from the Jedburgh Pipe Band marched with the schoolchildren.

From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026

Only three pipers have ever been given the honour.

From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2025

Two pipers were sent down to play the Skye Boat Song at the launch ceremony.

From BBC ● Nov. 17, 2024

International pipers dressed in green and yellow marched their way from Bayeux Cathedral to the Great Vigil at the Commonwealth War Grave Commission’s Bayeux War Cemetery.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 6, 2024

They thrust their little necks out and kept up a musical whistling, like a tiny troupe of pipers.

From "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White

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