skipper
1 Americannoun
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the master or captain of a vessel, especially of a small trading or fishing vessel.
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a captain or leader, as of a team.
verb (used with object)
noun
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the captain of any vessel
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the captain of an aircraft
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a manager or leader, as of a sporting team
verb
noun
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a person or thing that skips
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any small butterfly of the family Hesperiidae, having a hairy mothlike body and erratic darting flight
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another name for saury
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.
Newly hired manager Kurt Suzuki is the franchise’s seventh skipper in nine seasons—and the Angels only gave him a one-year deal.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 17, 2026
As skipper Meg Jones lifted the Six Nations trophy, it was a celebration of Premiership Women's Rugby.
From BBC • May 17, 2026
The Spaniards' relationship started in 1997 when Arteta joined Barcelona's academy - meeting his idol, Barca skipper and fellow midfielder Guardiola.
From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026
Butera was 25 when the Rays put him in charge of the Hudson Valley Renegades, making him the youngest skipper in the minors.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
Wherever the skipper operated, the enemy was put off by his tactics.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
