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:
There are already signs his link-up with skipper Bruno Fernandes could prove productive.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Root stepped down from his first stint as skipper in April 2022, following a 10-wicket defeat by West Indies.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Former skipper Michael Vaughan has said the England Test captaincy could be "exactly what Joe Root needs".
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
When you think of Joe Torre, it’s as a former Dodgers skipper.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
The skipper pulled his chronometer out from beneath his shirt.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
"The skippers of the boats and the whole fishing community now know exactly where to find us," says Dr James Gunning, the local NHS GP in charge of the clinic that day.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2025
"If I could, a skippers ticket would be quite cool to have," she said.
From BBC ● May 12, 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
Some boat skippers are trying to keep their vessels afloat with whale watching and the scattering of human remains.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 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
Phil Foden has captained City during pre-season and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma is a vocal presence on the pitch, while defender Marc Guehi skippered former club Crystal Palace.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
In other sports endeavors, Turner successfully skippered the US yacht Courageous to win the 1977 America's Cup.
From Barron's ● May 6, 2026
Moeen, who won two IPL titles with Chennai Super Kings and captained Worcestershire to their first Blast triumph in 2018, also skippered Birmingham Phoenix to the final of the inaugural Hundred tournament.
From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2026
The 35-year-old has made 105 appearances for England and skippered his country in 2024.
From Barron's ● Jan. 21, 2026
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
Capped 59 times by Wales, skippering them on 42 occasions, he also took them to the brink of the 1994 World Cup finals as coach -- which would have been their first appearance since 1958.
From Barron's ● Jan. 8, 2026
He steps up to lead England despite only previously skippering Surrey in one first-class and eight T20 matches.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2024
Williamson, 25, who plays for Women's Super League side Arsenal as well as skippering the Lionesses, said she hoped the award would help her to continue inspiring the next generation of sportswomen.
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2023
It said one was suspected of skippering the vessel, and the other of assisting him.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 3, 2022
"How does it happen that he is skippering a yacht then?"
From The Clammer and the Submarine by William John Hopkins
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.
