definitions

piper

[ pahy-per ]
/ ˈpaɪ pər /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR piper ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who plays on a pipe.
a bagpiper.

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Nearby words

pipefitting, pipeful, pipeline, pipeliner, pipelining, piper, piperaceous, piperacillin, piperacillin sodium, piperazine, piperidine

Idioms

    pay the piper,
    1. to pay the cost of something.
    2. to bear the unfavorable consequences of one's actions or pleasures: Someday he'll have to pay the piper for all that gambling.

Origin of piper

before 1000; Middle English; Old English pīpere. See pipe1, -er1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for pay the piper (1 of 2)

piper

/ (ˈpaɪpə) /

noun

a person who plays a pipe or bagpipes
pay the piper and call the tune to bear the cost of an undertaking and control it

British Dictionary definitions for pay the piper (2 of 2)

Piper

/ (ˈpaɪpə) /

noun

John. 1903–92, British artist. An official war artist in World War II, he is known esp for his watercolours of bombed churches and his stained glass in Coventry Cathedral
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Culture definitions for pay the piper

pay the piper

To pay the consequences for self-indulgent behavior: “If you stay up late at night to watch TV, in the morning you will have to pay the piper.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Idioms and Phrases with pay the piper (1 of 2)

pay the piper

see under call the tune.

Idioms and Phrases with pay the piper (2 of 2)

piper

see call the tune (pay the piper).

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.