plural flippers
1
a
: a broad flat limb (as of a seal or cetacean) adapted for swimming
b
: a flat shoe (as of rubber or silicone) with the front expanded into a paddle that is used to aid movement through water (as in snorkeling or scuba diving)
called also fin, swim fin
2
: someone or something that flips or is used in flipping
spatulas and pancake flippers
pinball flippers
He worked as a burger flipper.
A flipper is a person who changes TV channels just to see what else is on.—
Springfield (Massachusetts) Morning Union
Springfield (Massachusetts) Morning UnionHe also interviews house "flippers" who buy cheap property with an eye toward making some inexpensive improvements to spruce it up and then quickly "flipping" it, or reselling it at a value-added price for a tidy profit.—James Prichard
James PrichardExamples of flipper in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The property was listed in February with an asking price of $200,000, but the current owner, property flipper Pawel Radzik, abruptly pulled the listing after learning that Prevost, who was recently elected pope, formerly resided there.
—India Roby, Architectural Digest, 13 May 2025
The connection to Wynn, a resident and serial flipper of multimillion-dollar mansions, gave Hissom and Ramirez entrée into a staid, moneyed Republican enclave that trusts few interlopers, and the couple dressed the part, chronicling all on Instagram in shades of double-breasted finery.
—Ben Widdicombe, Vulture, 12 May 2025
Imagine a reptile with a gigantic, robust skull armed with dozens of razor-sharp teeth, a streamlined body propelled by four powerful flippers and a bite force that could rival the most fearsome terrestrial predators.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
The team removed the wrappings around the whale's body and made a single cut to the line pinning the whale's right flipper, but couldn't remove all of the potentially life-threatening gear before the whale swam off.
—Luke Chinman, People.com, 15 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flipper
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India Roby, Architectural Digest, 13 May 2025
The connection to Wynn, a resident and serial flipper of multimillion-dollar mansions, gave Hissom and Ramirez entrée into a staid, moneyed Republican enclave that trusts few interlopers, and the couple dressed the part, chronicling all on Instagram in shades of double-breasted finery.
—Ben Widdicombe, Vulture, 12 May 2025
Imagine a reptile with a gigantic, robust skull armed with dozens of razor-sharp teeth, a streamlined body propelled by four powerful flippers and a bite force that could rival the most fearsome terrestrial predators.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
The team removed the wrappings around the whale's body and made a single cut to the line pinning the whale's right flipper, but couldn't remove all of the potentially life-threatening gear before the whale swam off.
—Luke Chinman, People.com, 15 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flipper
Cite this Entry
“Flipper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flipper. Accessed 8 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
flipper
noun
flip·per
ˈflip-ər 
1
: a broad flat limb (as of a seal or whale) used for swimming
2
: a flat rubber shoe with the front widened into a paddle for use in skin diving
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