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

Another "dipper" is Leighton Lee, 51, from Porth, who said the feeling was "hard to describe".

From BBC • Oct. 25, 2023

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 • Aug. 23, 2023

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 • Aug. 18, 2022

Cresswell almost dislocates his standing ankle, spinning a dipper over the near side of the wall, just under the bar, and into the vicinity of the top corner!

From The Guardian • Apr. 3, 2022

She ran into the cabin and returned a few seconds later with a gourd dipper of water.

From "Kindred" by Octavia Butler