caper

1 of 3

noun (1)

ca·​per ˈkā-pər 

1

a

: an illegal or questionable act or escapade

The biggest criminal caper he got caught for was a $65 robbery of a convenience store …

—The Columbian (Vancouver, WA)

b

: an amusing movie or story about such an act or escapade

This offbeat, Runyonesque caper shows uncanny insight into the psychology of the con man and his all-too-willing victims.

—Sybil Steinberg

2

: a capricious escapade : prank

The boys were disciplined for their foolish capers.

3

: a frolicsome leap

He was so happy he cut a caper on the steps.

I feel as if I could be anything or everything; as if I could rant and storm, or sigh, or cut capers in any tragedy or comedy in the English language.

—Jane Austen

caper

2 of 3

verb

capered; capering ˈkā-p(ə-)riŋ 

intransitive verb

: to leap or prance about in a playful manner

lambs capering in the meadow

caper

3 of 3

noun (2)

1

: any of a genus (Capparis of the family Capparaceae, the caper family) of low prickly shrubs of the Mediterranean region

especially : one (C. spinosa) cultivated for its buds

2

: one of the greenish flower buds or young berries of the caper pickled and used as a seasoning or garnish

Did you know?

Caper in Latin means "a male goat". Anyone who has watched a young goat frolic in a field or clamber onto the roof of a car knows the kind of crazy fun the English word caper —which is also a verb—is referring to. A capriole is a backward kick done in midair by a trained horse. Capricorn, meaning "horned goat", is a constellation and one of the signs of the zodiac. And a capricious act is one that's done with as little thought as a frisky goat might give it.

Synonyms of caper

Noun (1)

• prank
• trick
• adventure
• escapade

Verb

• romp
• dance
• lark
• leap
• hop
• gambol
• cavort
• frolic
• sport
• rollick
• skip
• cut capers
• frisk
• tumble

Examples of caper in a Sentence

Noun (1)

long-ago college capers that have become more rollicking and daring with each recounting

Verb

a young goat capering in its pen

as summer drew to a close, the children spent their days wistfully capering on the beach

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

To date, four people have been charged in connection with that caper; the gems have not yet been recovered. —News Desk, Artforum, 3 Nov. 2025

Preconfigured toppings include the Gold Standard (smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers, lemon), the Summer Girl (burrata, grated tomato) and the Brusco (Calabrian cream cheese, pistachio mortadella, honey). —Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025

Verb

While capering around with her boss, Matty keeps looking for a private moment alone with Olympia’s luggage. —Noel Murray, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2024

Chapman persuaded Ford Motor Co. to fulfill his V-8 engine requirements and built the first of what were to become revolutionary Lotus-Fords, pencil-thin cars that looked like spiders capering through the turns. —Mike Kupper, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

perhaps shortened from capriole

Note: Note that capriole itself is first attested about the same time as caper, so that a shortening of the former word would have had to take place almost as soon as it was borrowed. The verb caper entry 2 appears at virtually the same time as the noun.

Verb

probably derivative of caper entry 1

Note: See note at caper entry 1.

Noun (2)

back-formation from earlier capers (taken as a plural), from Middle English caperis, from Latin capparis, from Greek kapparis

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb

1588, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing caper

• cut a caper

Rhymes for caper

• paper
• raper
• scraper
• shaper
• taper
• vapor
• newspaper
• notepaper
• sandpaper
• skyscraper
• wallpaper
• wastepaper

Kids Definition

caper

1 of 3 noun

ca·​per ˈkā-pər 

: a pickled flower bud or young berry of a low prickly shrub of the Mediterranean region that is used as a seasoning

caper

2 of 3 verb

capered; capering -p(ə-)riŋ 

: to leap about in a lively way

caper

3 of 3 noun

1

: a playful bounding leap or spring

2

: a playful or mischievous trick

3

: an illegal or questionable act

Etymology

Noun

from earlier capers "caper shrub or berry" (mistaken as a plural), from Middle English caperis (same meaning), from Latin capperis "caper shrub"

Verb

probably an altered form of English capriole "a playful leap, a leap by a trained horse," from early French capriole or early Italian capriola (both, same meaning), derived from Latin capreolus "goat, male deer"