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
In the series, three teams of amateur house flippers compete to renovate identical beachfront properties.
—Angel Saunders, People.com, 4 July 2025
Dilly Dally, a loggerhead turtle whose front flipper was amputated after surviving a run-in with a predator, has been released from a Florida animal hospital back into the Atlantic Ocean.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 9 June 2025
An adolescent loggerhead sea turtle named Dilly Dally crawled into the Atlantic Ocean Wednesday morning, months after having a front flipper amputated at a Florida turtle hospital.
—CBS News, 5 June 2025
The massive creatures — which can weigh 90,000 pounds and measure 55 feet — have sleek, dark bodies and slender, pointed flippers.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flipper
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Angel Saunders, People.com, 4 July 2025
Dilly Dally, a loggerhead turtle whose front flipper was amputated after surviving a run-in with a predator, has been released from a Florida animal hospital back into the Atlantic Ocean.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 9 June 2025
An adolescent loggerhead sea turtle named Dilly Dally crawled into the Atlantic Ocean Wednesday morning, months after having a front flipper amputated at a Florida turtle hospital.
—CBS News, 5 June 2025
The massive creatures — which can weigh 90,000 pounds and measure 55 feet — have sleek, dark bodies and slender, pointed flippers.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 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 16 Jul. 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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