chipper

¹

[chip-er]

adjective

1. marked by or being in sprightly good humor and health.

   Synonyms: pert, peppy, jaunty

chipper

²

[chip-er]

verb (used without object)

1. to chirp or twitter.

2. to chatter or babble.

chipper

³

[chip-er]

noun

1. a person or thing that chips or cuts.

2. a machine that grinds up logs, tree trunks, discarded Christmas trees, etc., into wood chips.

3. Slang.,  a person who uses narcotic drugs only occasionally or in small doses.

chipper

¹

/ ˈtʃɪpə /

adjective

1. cheerful; lively

2. smartly dressed

chipper

²

/ ˈtʃɪpər /

noun

1. informal,  a fish-and-chip shop

Word History and Origins

Origin of chipper¹

First recorded in 1830–40; of uncertain origin; perhaps from northern English dialect kipper “lively, frisky”

Origin of chipper²

First recorded in 1705–15; chip ² + -er ⁶

Origin of chipper³

First recorded in 1505–15; chip ¹ + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Steve Painter, the lead prosthetics supervisor/designer, was the most chipper, cheerful person we had met all week.

From Salon

As in the book, Bobo’s take on things is blunt and chipper and usually wrong; we’re entrusted to read between the lines.

From Los Angeles Times

She dialed Calvert, who answered with a chipper: “Oh, hi, honey! Are you coming for lunch?”

From Los Angeles Times

Folk in government seem pretty chipper with how it is going down, at least initially.

From BBC

Maybe not the actual people, who are usually sunny and chipper in contrast to their grisly work, but certainly the actual act of being worked on by one of them.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• lively 
• sprightly 

When To Use

What does chipper mean?

Chipper is most commonly used as an adjective meaning upbeat, cheerful, and high-spirited, especially in an outward way.Chipper is used to describe someone’s overall mood or attitude, or their actions. People sometimes get annoyed if they think a person is being too chipper—the word may be used to imply that such cheerfulness is annoying or inappropriate for the situation.As an adjective, it can also mean nicely dressed, though this sense is used much less commonly.Chipper can also be used as a noun referring to a machine that grinds wood (like tree trunks and branches) into chips. This is more commonly called a woodchipper.Less commonly, chipper can be used as a verb meaning to chirp or twitter, like a bird does (a chipping sparrow, perhaps), or to chatter or babble, as in If you leave those two to themselves, they’ll chipper away the entire afternoon. Chipper also has a few slang uses, including as a term for a fish-and-chip shop in Ireland and Scotland.Example: Ironically, I’m at my most chipper when I get to work the woodchipper—there’s just something really satisfying about it.