caper

¹ American  

[key-per] / ˈkeɪ pər /

verb (used without object)

capers, present (3rd person singular) capered, past participle, past capering present participle

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

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noun

1. a playful leap or skip.

2. a prank or trick; harebrained escapade.

   Synonyms:

   antic, stunt

3. a frivolous, carefree episode or activity.

   Synonyms:

   frolic, spree

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

idioms

1. cut a caper. cut.

caper ² American  

[key-per] / ˈkeɪ pər /

noun

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

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

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caper ¹ British  

/ ˈkeɪpə /

noun

1. a playful skip or leap

2. a high-spirited escapade

3. 1. to skip or jump playfully

   2. to act or behave playfully; frolic

4. slang a crime, esp an organized robbery

5. informal a job or occupation

6. informal a person's behaviour

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verb

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

caper ² British  

/ ˈkeɪpə /

noun

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

2. any of various similar plants or their edible parts See also bean caper capers

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• caperer
  noun
• uncapering
  adjective
• caperingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• capering
  present
• capered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• caper
  simple
• capers
  simple
• have capered
  perfect
• has capered
  perfect
• am capering
  progressive
• are capering
  progressive
• is capering
  progressive
• have been capering
  perfect progressive
• has been capering
  perfect progressive

Past

• capered
  simple
• had capered
  perfect
• was capering
  progressive
• were capering
  progressive
• had been capering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will caper
  simple
• will have capered
  perfect
• will be capering
  progressive
• will have been capering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of caper¹

First recorded in 1585–95; probably shortening and alteration of capriole ( def. )

Origin of caper²

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

Explanation

A goofy little joke or prank, a crime, or a ridiculous adventure is called a caper. For example, your quest for an American newspaper turned into a caper that took you all over the Irish countryside. Caper originates from the Italian word capriolare, meaning “jump in the air,” and indeed, one meaning is "frolicking play or light-hearted dancing." Little kids like to caper at family parties — it gets them tons of attention. Other kinds of capers might get you jail time because a caper can also be an outlandish crime spree, or a wild activity. Finally, capers are the very flavorful pickled flower bud found in Mediterranean cooking.

Example Sentences

The snackiest expression of the theme: a loose, lemony caper relish that lives in the refrigerator waiting to improve whatever happens to cross its path.

From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026

DiCaprio and Jordan will face stiff competition from Timothee Chalamet, who is hotly tipped to win his first Oscar for his role in table tennis caper Marty Supreme.

From BBC • Jan. 22, 2026

What Johansson also learned is that Squibb, star of last year’s acclaimed caper “Thelma” and the voice of Nostalgia in “Inside Out 2,” adds extra gloss to a project and is genre-adaptable.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 15, 2025

Released outside Japan from August, including in North America and last Friday in China, the caper has attracted 89.17 million viewers internationally, Aniplex and Toho said on Monday.

From Barron's • Nov. 18, 2025

There would be more stories about how poor the brute was; his age; his evil disposition and his latest caper.

From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston