flipper
Americannoun
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flippers
plural
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a broad, flat limb, as of a seal or whale, especially adapted for swimming.
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Also called fin. one of a pair of paddlelike devices, usually of rubber, worn on the feet as an aid in scuba diving and swimming.
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Theater. a narrow flat hinged or attached at right angles to a larger flat.
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Slang. the hand.
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someone or something that flips.
noun
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the flat broad limb of seals, whales, penguins, and other aquatic animals, specialized for swimming
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Also called: fin. (often plural) either of a pair of rubber paddle-like devices worn on the feet as an aid in swimming, esp underwater
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cricket a ball bowled with backspin imparted by the action of the bowler's wrist
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of flipper
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:
The three-bedroom, one-bath home was dilapidated before an out-of-state house flipper fixed it up, she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
One ex-house flipper said he’d experimented with 50 AI-generated business ideas before landing on one he liked.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Under a blazing sun, the green sea turtle thwapped the surface of the San Gabriel River with her sole front flipper as aquarium staffers gripped her shell.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026
Adams said they’re trying to do reconstructive surgery on the nerve-damaged flipper to make it as functional as possible.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026
Now I’m imagining Turtle Beach: pale gold sands marked by the flipper prints of a very special turtle!
From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr
Buoys and flippers still littered the ground along the fence, while others floated in the water.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
If customers sell those SpaceX shares within 15 days of the IPO, they will be flagged as flippers.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026
A private company plans to refloat the injured mammal from the sea floor by its flippers and onto a tarp attached to a tug boat, officials said.
From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026
While foreclosure filings of distressed properties—the kind flippers look for—were up 17% in the third quarter of 2025 versus the same time last year, these investors continue to face major challenges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 10, 2025
When she stopped to watch and listen for a moment, Tagganaro glanced at her without recognition, but Casso barked and clapped his flippers.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
