dipper
Americannoun
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a person or thing that dips.
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a cuplike container with a long handle, used for dipping liquids.
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(initial capital letter)
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Also called water ouzel. Ornithology. 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.
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South Midland and Southern U.S. a person who uses snuff.
noun
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a ladle used for dipping
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Also called: water ouzel. any aquatic songbird of the genus Cinclus and family Cinclidae, esp C. cinclus. They inhabit fast-flowing streams and resemble large wrens
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a slang word for pickpocket
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a person or thing that dips, such as the mechanism for directing car headlights downwards
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a small metal cup clipped onto a painter's palette for holding diluent or medium
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archaic an Anabaptist
Etymology
Origin of dipper
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.
The character of Biff Dipper, an engineer, will be found in the ride’s preshow, familiarizing guests with the story of the asteroid that spells impending doom.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026
Stout and slightly gruff, Dipper has a digital face that can approximate more than 40 expressions.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026
I could not identify the patient zero of the cheese-pull phenomenon, but it was around this time that Chili’s became inescapable on TikTok—everyone stretching cheese as far as they could while praising the Triple Dipper.
From Slate • Aug. 11, 2025
The 70-year-old has loved the cosmos since her childhood, since her father showed her the Big Dipper, the North Star and the Milky Way, and bought her her first telescope.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2024
You can use the Big Dipper to find Polaris, the North Star, which, by the way, is the tail end of the handle of the Little Dipper.
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
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.
