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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

Etymology

Origin of piper

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

piper Piper pipers

The atmosphere has been building at the Haven Bar - Boston's only Scottish pub - with a piper playing the US national anthem and extra Scottish beer shipped in.

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 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

So to some degree, it’s a question of when the piper will be paid, not if the piper will be paid.

From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2025

But really, if you commit a crime you have to pay the piper, what did she expect?

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Piper Sandler saw room for that improvement to continue.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

It was to follow on from the series finale in May 2025, in which Ncuti Gatwa's incarnation of the Doctor regenerated into Billie Piper, who previously played the Doctor's assistant, Rose.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

Piper Sandler analyst Edward Tenthoff hiked his price target on the shares to $77 from $69 while maintaining an Overweight rating, citing the progress showcased at Moderna’s investor day.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

Already, 6 million barrels of Iranian oil are headed to refineries in China, the Piper Sandler analysts said.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026

Piper didn’t know much about the Mediterranean, but she was pretty sure it wasn’t supposed to freeze in July.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

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

Even more people, along with a band of pipers playing “Scotland the Brave,” greeted her when she disembarked at Euston Station.

From New York Times ● Jul. 6, 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