skipper

¹ American  

[skip-er] / ˈskɪp ər /

noun

1. the master or captain of a vessel, especially of a small trading or fishing vessel.

2. a captain or leader, as of a team.

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verb (used with object)

1. to act as skipper of.

skipper ² American  

[skip-er] / ˈskɪp ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that skips.

2. any of various insects that hop or fly with jerky motions.

3. any of numerous quick-flying, lepidopterous insects of the family Hesperiidae, closely related to the true butterflies.

4. saury.

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skipper ¹ British  

/ ˈskɪpə /

noun

1. the captain of any vessel

2. the captain of an aircraft

3. a manager or leader, as of a sporting team

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verb

1. to act as skipper (of)

skipper ² British  

/ ˈskɪpə /

noun

1. a person or thing that skips

2. any small butterfly of the family Hesperiidae, having a hairy mothlike body and erratic darting flight

3. another name for saury

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Etymology

Origin of skipper¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Middle Dutch schipper, equivalent to schip ship ¹ + -er -er ¹

Origin of skipper²

1200–50; Middle English: locust. See skip ¹, -er ¹

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

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

The skipper scored again to seal Manchester City the FA Cup, before they beat Inter Milan in the Champions League final a week later to secure the Treble.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

His Hearts strike-partner Lawrence Shankland has two more, despite the skipper missing eight league games with a hamstring tear at the start of 2026.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

Sports Illustrated may have deemed Turner “Terrible Ted” on its cover, but on the ocean, the skipper wasn’t an Ahab.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

Armed with sextant, chronometers, compass, and nautical tables, Frank Worsley, skipper of Endurance, had been able to calculate and plot their every position.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

Related Words

• captain
• sea captain