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  • skinner
    skinner
    noun
    a person or thing that skins.
  • Skinner
    Skinner
    noun
    B(urrhus) F(rederic) 1904–90, U.S. psychologist and writer.
Synonyms

skinner

1 American  
[skin-er] / ˈskɪn ər /

noun

  • skinners
    plural
  1. a person or thing that skins.

  2. a person who prepares or deals in skins or hides.

  3. a person who drives draft animals, as mules or oxen.

  4. the operator of a piece of heavy equipment used in clearing land or in construction work, as a tractor or bulldozer.

  5. any of a band of irregular cavalry operating in the neutral ground of Westchester County, New York, during the American Revolution and claiming loyalty to both the British and American troops but preying on all persons indiscriminately.


Skinner 2 American  
[skin-er] / ˈskɪn ər /

noun

  1. B(urrhus) F(rederic) 1904–90, U.S. psychologist and writer.

  2. Cornelia Otis, 1901–79, U.S. actress and author.

  3. her father Otis, 1858–1942, U.S. actor.


Skinner 1 British  
/ ˈskɪnə /

noun

  1. B ( urrhus ) F ( rederic ). 1904–90, US behavioural psychologist. His "laws of learning", derived from experiments with animals, have been widely applied to education and behaviour therapy

"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

skinner 2 British  
/ ˈskɪnə /

noun

  1. a person who prepares or deals in animal skins

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of skinner

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at skin, -er 1


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:

Once the vet finished the external inspection, the skinner would gently comb through the animal's fur with a metal instrument to remove dust and matted blood.

From Salon ● Jan. 12, 2022

Dale Firm, a 57-year-old fish skinner for Campo, said he likely faces a future of welfare and food stamps if the bills pass.

From Washington Times ● Feb. 21, 2020

He worked as a “lumper,” bringing boxes of fish from the boats, then as a journeyman, wheeling them to the loading zones, then as a skinner, a cutter, a salesman, and, finally, a buyer.

From The New Yorker ● Aug. 1, 2019

He once successfully administered antivenin to a skinner who had been bitten by a snake, he wrote in a column for Sports Afield, and soldered a leaking radiator on a baggage truck.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 22, 2018

The skinner had been studying the old dog with his calm eyes.

From "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck

"Let's get around women in sport, right? All women in sport, particularly at this Rugby League World Cup," Skinner said.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Skinner also called on the crowds to be more supportive of the women's game at this World Cup.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

"That was one of the hardest phone calls I've had to make as a coach to a player and to talk about her and where she was," Skinner said.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

Skinner wanted to focus on being a top safety even though he started high school at Chaminade playing quarterback, transferred to Notre Dame as a sophomore and played quarterback for the junior varsity team.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

I told him how I felt about school now, and how everybody had been treating me weird—James Skinner, and even some of the teachers.

From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds

Inskip and her colleagues zeroed in on the medieval city of Winchester, which had not only skinners, tailors, and furriers, but also a hospital for leprosy patients.

From Science Magazine ● May 3, 2024

Everything began with personnel identified as "skinners," who would select an animal from the tarp and heave it onto a table.

From Salon ● Jan. 12, 2022

The milliner Stephen Jones said the same before a show of Edward Crutchley’s work, held inside a medieval guild hall devoted to London’s skinners, and most notable for its hats.

From New York Times ● Jan. 6, 2020

Worse still, the so-called mule skinners who are caught with the shipments seldom turn out to be Mr. Big.

From Time Magazine Archive

Then Hiram's wagon entered upon a system of hairpin curves, and for nearly fifteen minutes none of her skinners was in sight.

From The She Boss A Western Story by Arthur Preston Hankins

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