dipper

American  

[dip-er] / ˈdɪp ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that dips.

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

3. (initial capital letter)

   1. Big Dipper.

   2. Little Dipper.

4. Also called water ouzel.  Ornithology. 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.

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

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dipper British  

/ ˈdɪpə /

noun

1. a ladle used for dipping

2. 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

3. a slang word for pickpocket

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

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

6. archaic an Anabaptist

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Etymology

Origin of dipper

1350–1400; Middle English: diving bird; dip ¹, -er ¹

Example Sentences

At Lord's he had just produced his best bit of bowling, a dipper to draw the edge of KL Rahul, before he was injured.

From BBC

We had a cunning little dipper we could send down into the pan on a length of picture wire.

From Literature

Some Native American tribes believe the cup of the dipper represents a bear and the stars in the handle represent warriors who pursue it.

From National Geographic

Polaris, the North Star, loiters at the end of the dipper’s handle.

From Washington Post

Dip: One of the best things about dip is that the dipper becomes the utensil, so you get to eat with your hands.

From Washington Post