dipper

[ dip-er ]

noun

1. a person or thing that dips.
2. a cuplike container with a long handle, used for dipping liquids.
3. (initial capital letter) Astronomy.
   1. Big Dipper.
   2. Little Dipper.
4. Ornithology. Also called water ouzel. any small, stocky diving bird of the family Cinclidae, related to the thrushes, especially Cinclus aquaticus of Europe and C. mexicanus of western North America, having dense, oilyplumage and frequenting rapid streams and rivers.
5. South Midland and Southern U.S. a person who uses snuff.

dipper

/ ˈdɪpə /

noun

1. a ladle used for dipping
2. Also calledwater ouzel any aquatic songbird of the genus Cinclus and family Cinclidae, esp C. cinclus. They inhabit fast-flowing streams and resemble large wrens
3. a slang word for pickpocket
4. a person or thing that dips, such as the mechanism for directing car headlights downwards
5. a small metal cup clipped onto a painter's palette for holding diluent or medium
6. archaic.
   an Anabaptist

Word History and Origins

Origin of dipper¹

1350–1400; Middle English: diving bird; dip ¹, -er ¹

Example Sentences

We had a cunning little dipper we could send down into the pan on a length of picture wire.

From Literature

Some Native American tribes believe the cup of the dipper represents a bear and the stars in the handle represent warriors who pursue it.

From National Geographic

Polaris, the North Star, loiters at the end of the dipper’s handle.

From Washington Post

It tells you the government has been a reluctant passenger on this big dipper of market volatility that it strapped itself and the rest of us into.

From BBC

Dip: One of the best things about dip is that the dipper becomes the utensil, so you get to eat with your hands.

From Washington Post