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• piper
  piper

  noun

  a person who plays on a pipe.
• Piper
  Piper

  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

piper

American  

[pahy-per] / ˈpaɪ pər /

noun

• pipers
  plural

1. 

   a person who plays on a pipe.

2. a bagpiper.

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idioms

1. 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.

piper ¹ British  

/ ˈpaɪpə /

noun

1. a person who plays a pipe or bagpipes

2. to bear the cost of an undertaking and control it

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Piper ² British  

/ ˈpaɪpə /

noun

1. 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

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piper More Idioms  

1. see call the tune (pay the piper).

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pipers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of piper

before 1000; Middle English; Old English pīpere. See pipe ¹, -er ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

piper Piper pipers

We all ultimately pay the piper and take accountability for our actions.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

The parliament's piper, MSP Stuart McMillan, brought the event to a close with a performance in the members' garden of Bonnie Dundee and a Hundred Pipers.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

“Not Trad” is overtly Celtic, with a marching melody that could be played by a piper and a thumping drum that seems appropriate for a celebration.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026

A neo-traditionalist and pied piper for the New York downtown set, Keith and his nine lives most recently turned to Instagram after a stroke impaired his ability to speak.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025

At the center of the maze, a piper is playing a lilting, wild song.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

But unlike the most well-known version of that character, portrayed by Piper Laurie in Brian DePalma’s 1976 adaptation, Margaret is not a melodramatic, over-the-top, completely irrational zealot.

From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026

Billie Piper, “Elsinore” “Anne Hathaway is having a great year, but everyone – everyone! – left ‘The Odyssey’ bewitched by Samantha Morton’s face-squishing, heart-yanking body horror scene.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

The Piper Tomahawk II aircraft took off from Glasgow Airport on Friday afternoon at 16:17.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Piper Sandler forecasts Marathon’s per-share earnings will rise more than sevenfold from the same period last year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Piper, I can work on Dream Time again.”

From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein

Seven pipers from the National Piping Centre have been touring Guyana over the past week to learn more about the Guyanese musical traditions.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Shortly before kick-off, thousands of fans assembled in a meeting point to the west of the stadium and marched the final 2km to the gates, led by pipers and drummers.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2024

International pipers dressed in green and yellow marched their way from Bayeux Cathedral to the Great Vigil at the Commonwealth War Grave Commission’s Bayeux War Cemetery.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 6, 2024

Organisers UniqueAssembly have also promised live street theatre, drummers, pipers, vintage funfair rides and a carnival atmosphere in the city centre leading up to the bells.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2023

They thrust their little necks out and kept up a musical whistling, like a tiny troupe of pipers.

From "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White

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