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

Another favorite is "The Big Dipper," my take on a French Dip.

From Salon

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

Dipper, he explained to the audience, was “part of the OG Daily Show dog crew” who would wait for him offstage until each taping was done.

From Salon

“Dipper passed away yesterday,” Stewart tearfully said during a Monday episode of "The Daily Show."

From Salon

“That was the mission from the beginning,” Dipper said.

From Los Angeles Times