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:
Encountering another Chilean ship, Rosales asked the skipper, “is there really as much gold as they say?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
As the skipper of the 40-foot sloop First Light, Ms. Brauer had at her fingertips resources that would have amazed the salts of yore.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Pietersen's stint as England skipper lasted only five months.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
The skipper himself felt it necessary to duck off the field.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
The skipper was found guilty, of course, much to the delight of the fo’c’sle hands.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
Former United skippers Roy Keane and Gary Neville have also had their say, among a huge amount of analysis.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 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 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
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
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
"I think they're very, very lucky," said Vaughan, who memorably skippered England to victory in the 2005 Ashes.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 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
Kerr was appointed captain in 2019, with Arsenal defender Steph Catley typically skippering the side since her injury.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2025
He was skippering a Spanish-registered yacht intercepted by the French navy on 18 December, around 1,200 miles east of Martinique in the Atlantic.
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2023
It said one was suspected of skippering the vessel, and the other of assisting him.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 3, 2022
The captain of the Kazu 1 was inexperienced at skippering at sea.
From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2022
“Skipper Davy,” he went on, awkwardly, skippering me with a guile that was shameless, “it bein’ from a woman—bein’ from a woman, now, says I—’twould be no more ’n po-lite t’ open it.
From Doctor Luke of the Labrador by Norman Duncan
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