dipper

[ dip-er ]

/ ˈdɪp ər /

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See synonyms for dipper on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person or thing that dips.

a cuplike container with a long handle, used for dipping liquids.

(initial capital letter)Astronomy.

Ornithology.Also called water ouzel. any small, stocky diving bird of the family Cinclidae, related to the thrushes, especially Cinclus aquaticus of Europe and C. mexicanus of western North America, having dense, oilyplumage and frequenting rapid streams and rivers.

South Midland and Southern U.S. a person who uses snuff.

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Origin of dipper

1350–1400; Middle English: diving bird; see dip¹, -er¹

Words nearby dipper

dipody, dipole, dipole moment, dip one's toes into, dip out, dipper, dippy, dipropellant, diprotic, diprotodon, diprotodont

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dipper in a sentence

If you can spot the Big Dipper, follow along the curve of the handle with your eyes focusing beyond it.
Here’s how to see Leonard’s Comet, the brightest comet all year|Margo Milanowski|December 4, 2021|Popular-Science
First, understand that the Big Dipper isn’t a constellation.
The Laid-Back Adventurer’s Guide to Outdoor Skills|awise|August 2, 2021|Outside Online
In December 1995, the telescope’s director, Robert Williams, decided to train the observatory on a tiny, dark patch of sky near the handle of the Big Dipper for 10 consecutive days.
A century of astronomy revealed Earth’s place in the universe|Lisa Grossman|July 21, 2021|Science News
Most people smoke a dipper and chill, but I would smoke like six a night.
The New Rise of PCP|Jeff Deeney|April 22, 2011|DAILY BEAST

"No sabby lead chop till ploddem withee dipper," explained the Chinaman, imperturbably.
Dope|Sax Rohmer
Taking a long-handled dipper, Arthur half-filled it with the bait and threw it as far as he could out toward the school of fish.
The Rival Campers|Ruel Perley Smith
Like a flash she darted across to the house, caught up a dipper and filled it from the water-pail.
Maid Sally|Harriet A. Cheever
And whenever at work he happened to spy At chink or crevice a blinking eye, He let the dipper of water fly.
The Book of Humorous Verse|Various
He is the only member of the dipper family in North America.
Birds of the Rockies|Leander Sylvester Keyser

British Dictionary definitions for dipper

dipper

/ (ˈdɪpə) /

noun

a ladle used for dipping

Also called: water ouzel any aquatic songbird of the genus Cinclus and family Cinclidae, esp C. cinclus. They inhabit fast-flowing streams and resemble large wrens

a slang word for pickpocket

a person or thing that dips, such as the mechanism for directing car headlights downwards

a small metal cup clipped onto a painter's palette for holding diluent or medium

archaic an Anabaptist

dipper

Origin of dipper

Words nearby dipper

Words related to dipper

How to use dipper in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dipper