copper
1 Americannoun
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a malleable, ductile, metallic element having a characteristic reddish-brown color: used in large quantities as an electrical conductor and in the manufacture of alloys, as brass and bronze. Cu; 63.54; 29; 8.92 at 20°C.
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a metallic reddish brown.
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a coin composed of copper, bronze, or the like, as the U.S. cent or the British penny.
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any of several butterflies of the family Lycaenidae, as Lycaena hypophleas American copper, having copper-colored wings spotted and edged with black.
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a container made of copper.
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a tool partly or wholly made of copper.
a soldering copper.
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British. a large kettle, now usually made of iron, used for cooking or to boil laundry.
adjective
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made of copper.
copper kettles.
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reddish-brown; coppery.
The copper sun sank into the sea.
verb (used with object)
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to cover, coat, or sheathe with copper.
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Informal. hedge.
noun
noun
noun
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a malleable ductile reddish metallic element occurring as the free metal, copper glance, and copper pyrites: used as an electrical and thermal conductor and in such alloys as brass and bronze. Symbol: Cu; atomic no: 29; atomic wt: 63.546; valency: 1 or 2; relative density: 8.96; melting pt: 1084.87±+0.2°C; boiling pt: 2563°C
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( as modifier )
a copper coin
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the reddish-brown colour of copper
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( as adjective )
copper hair
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informal any copper or bronze coin
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a large vessel, formerly of copper, used for boiling or washing
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any of various small widely distributed butterflies of the genera Lycaena, Heodes, etc, typically having reddish-brown wings: family Lycaenidae
verb
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A reddish-brown, ductile, malleable metallic element that is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity. It is widely used for electrical wires, water pipes, and rust-resistant parts, either in its pure form or in alloys such as brass and bronze. Atomic number 29; atomic weight 63.546; melting point 1,083°C; boiling point 2,595°C; specific gravity 8.96; valence 1, 2.
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See Periodic Table See Note at element
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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coppersimple
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copperssimple
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have copperedperfect
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has copperedperfect
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am copperingprogressive
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are copperingprogressive
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is copperingprogressive
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have been copperingperfect progressive
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has been copperingperfect progressive
Past
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copperedsimple
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had copperedperfect
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was copperingprogressive
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were copperingprogressive
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had been copperingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of copper1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English coper, copper, Old English coper, copor (cognate with Old Norse koparr, German Kupfer ), from Late Latin cuprum, for Latin ( aes ) Cyprium “(metal) from Cyprus”
Origin of copper2
Explanation
Copper is a reddish-gold colored metal that's commonly used in electrical wires and plumbing. Your grandmother might make her famous chocolate caramel sauce in a shiny copper pot. Before 1983, pennies were 95 percent copper. Today, they're almost entirely zinc (a less expensive metal), coated with a thin copper plating. They look the same, but the older coins are quite a bit heavier. Copper is a good conductor of heat and electricity, which is why it's used for both fancy cookware and wires. You can also use copper for things that have a similar color: "His copper curls make him stand out from the other choir members."
Vocabulary lists containing copper
Non-Color Words to Use When Describing Color
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“Our internet is not stable the way the old copper landline telephone is.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
The bank expects 2Q Pilbara iron-ore shipments of roughly 84.1 million metric tons and copper output around 218,100 tons, both in line with consensus estimates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Many of the adverts also appeared to be AI-generated, using visuals such as copper coils and metallic boxes to make the products seem more sophisticated.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
The state has pushed back for years against AT&T’s attempts to cut copper landlines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
He took out two brand-new hoes, a knife with the hilt wrapped in copper wire, a length of dress-cloth, and a small amount of real money.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Mette, who has been with the department for 18 years, told "young coppers" they have a "long way to go."
From Fox News ● Oct. 21, 2021
“You want to say `I know all these coppers, I know all these things?’
From Washington Times ● Oct. 13, 2020
Its conclusion, following a public consultation, was that the £50 note and coppers should all remain, and that the mix of notes and coins in circulation should be unchanged "for years to come".
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2019
There do exist bent coppers as the saying goes.
From New York Times ● Apr. 13, 2018
One night it would be Vayon Poole, and the talk would be coppers and bread stores and servants.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Within the last month Alsop coppered the Longworth bet by wagering heavily on Ike to run.
From Time Magazine Archive
These boats were coppered and fitted with a cabin at the after part.
From The Inhabitants of the Philippines by Sawyer, Frederic H.
She was coppered; not a sheet of metal was off, not a rent anywhere visible through the length and breadth of the dingy green surface of it.
From The Honour of the Flag by Russell, W. Clark (William Clark)
Why I don’t believe it is, because I’ve seed the creature stickin’ just the same way to the coppered bottom o’ a ship, and likewise to the sides o’ rocks under the water.
From The Ocean Waifs A Story of Adventure on Land and Sea by Reid, Mayne
He was a man of powerful physique, his skin deep coppered by long exposure to prairie winds and sun.
From Deep Furrows by Moorhouse, Hopkins
Clampett & Co. expect to get richer still on royalties, and are coppering their bet by making a round-the-world tour, beating bandits and fattening the market for their book.
From Time Magazine Archive
When both ends are silvered the process of coppering by electro deposit is commenced.
From On Laboratory Arts by Threlfall, Richard
The French ships, larger, deeper, and with better lines than their opponents, were naturally better sailers, and it may be inferred that even coppering had not entirely overcome this original disadvantage of the British.
From The Major Operations of the Navies in the War of American Independence by Mahan, A. T. (Alfred Thayer)
A method of coppering soldered articles will be described later on.
From On Laboratory Arts by Threlfall, Richard
Well, have your own way; but I'll fool you again, while you're coppering me.
From The Spenders A Tale of the Third Generation by Wilson, Harry Leon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
