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
For developers, landlords and house flippers looking to turn a profit in a time when construction costs are high, gray laminate has become a go-to.
—Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2024
Santa Barbara’s most notorious house flipper is at it again!
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 13 Aug. 2024
People call it soulless, posting regretful before-and-after photos of house flippers ripping out hardwood in favor of gray laminate or turning warm Midcentury spaces into cold, modern ones.
—Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2024
The male turtle was found with injuries to both front flippers on April 10 by biologists with the Inwater Research Group in St. Lucie County on the east coast of Florida.
—Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 13 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for flipper 
Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2024
Santa Barbara’s most notorious house flipper is at it again!
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 13 Aug. 2024
People call it soulless, posting regretful before-and-after photos of house flippers ripping out hardwood in favor of gray laminate or turning warm Midcentury spaces into cold, modern ones.
—Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2024
The male turtle was found with injuries to both front flippers on April 10 by biologists with the Inwater Research Group in St. Lucie County on the east coast of Florida.
—Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 13 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for flipper
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flipper.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near flipper
Cite this Entry
“Flipper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flipper. Accessed 12 Sep. 2024.
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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