skipper
1 Americannoun
-
the master or captain of a vessel, especially of a small trading or fishing vessel.
-
a captain or leader, as of a team.
verb (used with object)
-
skippers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
skippered,
past participle, past
-
skippering
present participle
noun
-
the captain of any vessel
-
the captain of an aircraft
-
a manager or leader, as of a sporting team
verb
noun
-
a person or thing that skips
-
any small butterfly of the family Hesperiidae, having a hairy mothlike body and erratic darting flight
-
another name for saury
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
skippersimple
-
skipperssimple
-
have skipperedperfect
-
has skipperedperfect
-
am skipperingprogressive
-
are skipperingprogressive
-
is skipperingprogressive
-
have been skipperingperfect progressive
-
has been skipperingperfect progressive
Past
-
skipperedsimple
-
had skipperedperfect
-
was skipperingprogressive
-
were skipperingprogressive
-
had been skipperingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of skipper1
1350–1400; Middle English < Middle Dutch schipper, equivalent to schip ship 1 + -er -er 1
Origin of skipper2
Explanation
The person in charge of a ship or boat is the skipper. Another word for the skipper is the "captain," but skipper is so much more fun to say. Skipper is an informal name for the captain, a way to address the person who's at the helm of a boat or in command of a Navy ship. The word skipper comes from the Dutch schipper, from schip, or "ship." Sometimes this word is also used for the captain of a team or the pilot of an airplane.
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:
Ruben Amorim's exit had already seen skipper Bruno Fernandes move into a more advanced role.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
New, old skipper Joe Root might wonder about the chaos his old mucker has left behind.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
As a comparison, Stokes won 54% of his Tests as skipper, Michael Vaughan 51% and Mike Brearley 58%.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
After Jack Connors and Ashley Chambers missed for Dagenham, skipper Kevin O'Connor stepped up to score the winning spot-kick for Brentford.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
“We thought the skipper would have come back,” McCarthy grumbled as a clean-shaven Worsley jumped out onto the beach.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
He is the white-ball captain and Test vice-captain - past England skippers have had to address far more serious matters than the consequences of a night out.
From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2026
Knowing there is already a wealth of tinder, the skippers will not want sparks to fly - certainly until the contest finally gets under way on Friday morning.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2025
The suspension of fishing for the last two years has brought major losses of income for those in the fishing industry, but some salmon boat skippers agree that extending the closure is needed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2025
His 56 postseason victories rank sixth all time, and trail Bruce Bochy of the Texas Rangers by just one for the lead among active skippers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2025
The boats out there now were moving on blind bearings, and he didn’t necessarily trust their skippers.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
In other sports endeavors, Turner successfully skippered the US yacht Courageous to win the 1977 America's Cup.
From Barron's ● May 6, 2026
The 35-year-old has made 105 appearances for England and skippered his country in 2024.
From Barron's ● Jan. 21, 2026
De Ligt, who skippered Ajax to the Champions League semi-finals in 2019, feels that, because of his nationality and the Dutch reputation for blunt speaking, Amorim's words are positive.
From BBC ● May 31, 2025
The team, skippered by four-time Olympic champion Sir Ben Ainslie, have been heavily backed by British billionaire and Manchester United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2024
They had often talked of a deep-sea-fishing boat, which they would buy, man themselves, and rent to vacationers—this though neither had ever skippered a canoe or hooked a guppy.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
It left Australia with work to do in their final two games but they will not panic according to Head, skippering Australia in the absence of the injured Mitchell Marsh.
From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2026
Kerr was appointed captain in 2019, with Arsenal defender Steph Catley typically skippering the side since her injury.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2025
The fact that Nick travelled with them too - skippering a yacht - is also unusual.
From BBC ● May 24, 2025
It said one was suspected of skippering the vessel, and the other of assisting him.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 3, 2022
"Well, I know if I were skippering a British warship and picked up the Narcissus, her owners would find I was born and bred in Missouri," the honest Matt admitted.
From Cappy Ricks Retires by Peter B. (Peter Bernard) Kyne
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.
