caper

[ key-per ]

/ ˈkeɪ pər /

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See synonyms for: caper / capered / capers on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to leap or skip about in a sprightly manner; prance; frisk; gambol.

noun

a playful leap or skip.

a prank or trick; harebrained escapade.

a frivolous, carefree episode or activity.

Slang. a criminal or illegal act, as a burglary or robbery.

OTHER WORDS FOR caper

3 stunt, antic, shenanigans.

4 spree, frolic.

See synonyms for caper on Thesaurus.com

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Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

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Idioms about caper

cut a caper. cut (def. 84).

Origin of caper

First recorded in 1585–95; probably shortening and alteration of capriole

OTHER WORDS FROM caper

ca·per·er, nounca·per·ing·ly, adverbun·ca·per·ing, adjective

Words nearby caper

Cape Peninsula, Cape pigeon, Cape pondweed, Cape primrose, Cape Province, caper, capercaillie, caper family, Capernaum, capers, Cape Sable seaside sparrow

Other definitions for caper (2 of 2)

caper²

[ key-per ]

/ ˈkeɪ pər /

noun

a spiny shrub, Capparis spinosa, of Mediterranean regions, having roundish leaves and solitary white flowers.

its flower bud, which is pickled and used for garnish or seasoning.

Compare caper family.

Origin of caper

1350–1400; back formation from capers (taken for plural), Middle English caperes<Latin capparis<Greek kápparis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use caper in a sentence

Many capers are grab-and-go schemes that unfold quickly, aided by pollinating logistics.
Bee theft is almost a perfect crime—but there’s a new sheriff in town|Andrew Zaleski|February 9, 2021|Popular-Science
Conroy chops raw flank steak from the pedigreed D’Artagnan, mixing it with capers, green peppercorns and a fermented hot sauce he makes himself.
Georgetown gains a little gem in Lutèce|Tom Sietsema|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
Toss it with tomatoes, garlic, cayenne peppers, pasta, cheese, and lots of capers.
The Recipes We Cooked Again and Again and Again in 2020|Eater Staff|December 30, 2020|Eater
Pop open a jar of caper leaves—yes, off the same plant that gives us briney capers—and have a nibble.
Gifts to make eating at home feel like dining out|Corinne Iozzio|November 23, 2020|Popular-Science

During renormalization, complicated submicroscopic capers tend to just disappear.
How Mathematical ‘Hocus-Pocus’ Saved Particle Physics|Charlie Wood|September 17, 2020|Quanta Magazine
His latest film is The Two Faces of January, an old-fashioned caper set in scenic Greece and Turkey.
Viggo Mortensen Talks ‘The Two Faces of January,’ Blasts Fox News and Israel’s ‘State Terrorism’|Marlow Stern|September 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I sought them out and mapped out what a true-to-life 21st-century caper would look like at the most powerful bank in capitalism.
Book Bag: The Best Heists in Fact, Film, and Fiction|Matthew Quirk|June 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Muppets Most Wanted might be the best puppet-led musical mystery caper farce that Hollywood has ever produced.
‘Muppets Most Wanted’ Is a Perfect (Utterly Silly) Muppet Movie|Kevin Fallon|March 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
David O. Russell's sexy caper, American Hustle, opens in a most unusual way.
From ‘American Hustle’ to ‘Saving Mr. Banks,’ Why Is Hollywood Hooked On Embellishing the Truth?|Marina Watts, Marlow Stern|January 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Why would the Revolutionary Guards, known for running a tight ship, get involved in such a sloppy caper?
Iran’s Shadowy Assassins|Babak Dehghanpisheh|October 14, 2011|DAILY BEAST
If you can induce them to take a step to the right hand, they generally indemnify themselves by cutting a caper to the left.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 25 (of 25)|Robert Louis Stevenson
Tell me, Caper, what idea does even that rough sketch of Venice awake in your imaginative faculties, and all that?'
The Continental Monthly, Vol. 2, No. 2, August, 1862|Various
Caper's face wore a deeply thoughtful look, as he answered: 'I do see it; I do claim to read the lesson you would teach——'
The Continental Monthly, Vol. 2, No. 2, August, 1862|Various
Chandeliers constructed of egg-shells, where candles shone brightly, particularly struck Caper.
The Continental Monthly, Vol. 2, No. 2, August, 1862|Various
As soon as we were alone she began to laugh and caper like a lunatic, singing out, 'You are my rom, I'm your romi.'
Carmen|Prosper Merimee

British Dictionary definitions for caper (1 of 2)

caper¹

/ (ˈkeɪpə) /

noun

a playful skip or leap

a high-spirited escapade

cut a caper or cut capers

to skip or jump playfully
to act or behave playfully; frolic

slang a crime, esp an organized robbery

Australian informal a job or occupation

Australian informal a person's behaviour

verb

(intr) to leap or dance about in a light-hearted manner

Derived forms of caper

caperer, nouncaperingly, adverb

Word Origin for caper

C16: probably from capriole

British Dictionary definitions for caper (2 of 2)

caper²

/ (ˈkeɪpə) /

noun

a spiny trailing Mediterranean capparidaceous shrub, Capparis spinosa, with edible flower buds

any of various similar plants or their edible partsSee also bean caper, capers

Word Origin for caper

C15: from earlier capers, capres (assumed to be plural), from Latin capparis, from Greek kapparis

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

caper

OTHER WORDS FOR caper

Idioms about caper

Origin of caper

OTHER WORDS FROM caper

Words nearby caper

Other definitions for caper (2 of 2)

Origin of caper

Words related to caper

How to use caper in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for caper (1 of 2)

Derived forms of caper

Word Origin for caper

British Dictionary definitions for caper (2 of 2)

Word Origin for caper