clipper

American  

[klip-er] / ˈklɪp ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that clips or cuts.

2. (often used with a plural verb) Often clippers. a cutting tool, especially shears.

   hedge clippers.

3. (usually used with a plural verb) Usually clippers. a mechanical or electric tool for cutting hair, fingernails, or the like.

   He told the barber, “No clippers on the sides, please.”

4. Also called clipper ship.  Nautical. a sailing ship built and rigged for speed, especially a type of three-masted ship with a fast hull form and a lofty rig, built in the U.S. from c1845, and in Great Britain from a later date, until c1870, and used in trades in which speed was more important than cargo capacity.

5. Electronics. a device that gives output only for an input above or below a certain critical value.

6. a person or thing that moves along swiftly.

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clipper British  

/ ˈklɪpə /

noun

1. any fast sailing ship

2. a person or thing that cuts or clips

3. something, such as a horse or sled, that moves quickly

4. electronics another word for limiter

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Other Word Forms

• unclipper noun

Etymology

Origin of clipper

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; clip ¹, -er ¹

Explanation

Use the noun clipper when you're talking about an old-fashioned ship with many masts and sails. Although clippers were mostly used in the nineteenth century for carrying goods across oceans, you can still see them in various harbors today. The name clipper came from the verb clip, which can mean "to move or run rapidly." An entirely different meaning of clipper is the kind you use to trim your toenails or the weeds along the edge of your driveway.

Example Sentences

On Sept. 5, 1856, Mary Ann Patten becomes the first woman in history to captain a merchant clipper.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 8, 2025

It took weeks to get a nail clipper, said one man, for their unit of dozens of men.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 29, 2025

He described himself as a "spiritual nomad", exploring paths through yoga, Buddhism, and Christian mysticism, and learned from the Dalai Lama - whom he gifted a tartan-pouched hair clipper in 1988.

From BBC • Jul. 15, 2025

At a time when cruise lines are packing their ever-more-gargantuan ships with water parks and basketball courts, the 136-passenger Sea Cloud Spirit, with its old-fashioned clipper design and wooden decks, stands out.

From New York Times • Jun. 3, 2024

Mr. Ludsbury loomed on like a high-masted clipper ship in this rocking passage, and I tried to go stealthily by him on my watery, squeaking sneakers.

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles