dipper

American  

[dip-er] / ˈdɪp ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that dips.

2. a cuplike container with a long handle, used for dipping liquids.

3. (initial capital letter)

   1. Big Dipper.

   2. Little Dipper.

4. 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.

5. South Midland and Southern U.S. a person who uses snuff.

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dipper British  

/ ˈdɪpə /

noun

1. a ladle used for dipping

2. 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

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

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Etymology

Origin of dipper

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

Example Sentences

At Lord's he had just produced his best bit of bowling, a dipper to draw the edge of KL Rahul, before he was injured.

From BBC • Jul. 22, 2025

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 • Aug. 23, 2023

Cresswell almost dislocates his standing ankle, spinning a dipper over the near side of the wall, just under the bar, and into the vicinity of the top corner!

From The Guardian • Apr. 3, 2022

Eternal stars shining overhead, a big and little dipper, are quietly heartbreaking witnesses to Earthly affairs.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2022

I spilled the dipper over the top of my head, shivering as the cold water trickled down my back.

From "Fever 1793" by Laurie Halse Anderson