cooper

1 of 2

noun

coo·​per ˈkü-pər How to pronounce cooper (audio) ˈku̇- How to pronounce cooper (audio)
: one that makes or repairs wooden casks or tubs

cooper

2 of 2

verb

coopered; coopering ˈkü-p(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce cooper (audio)
ˈku̇-

transitive verb

: to work as a cooper on

intransitive verb

: to work at or do coopering

Examples of cooper in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Some suggest that burning casks to remove impurities was a common practice among coopers. Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025 An expert cooper can hammer together more than 30 staves in as little as 90 seconds, Heaven Hill Distillery stated in an article about the process of making barrels. Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal, 17 Jan. 2025 Yet the coming exit of the centuries-old cooper and zinc round coin, once stamped with a woman symbolizing liberty and now bearing President Abraham Lincoln's solemn profile, may have a more outsized impact beyond the loose change drawer, particularly for those living near the economic margins. Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 May 2025 Ger Buckley, a fifth-generation cooper and Midleton’s current master cooper, somehow managed the feat. Tony Sachs, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025 Our coopers over the generations have looked after it. Chris Perugini, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025 When Curtis Whiley’s great-great-great-grandfather, a cooper from Virginia, took refuge in Nova Scotia in 1815, this community was nothing but pine forest. Sara Miller Llana, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Feb. 2025 Long-time distillery employees—from distillers to blenders to coopers to warehouse managers—leave their indelible mark on the next generation of employees. Chris Perugini, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025 The look of the university is an amalgam of Italian, Moorish and American architectural styles, with a blending of materials such as plaster, cooper and wood. Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025
Verb
The slopes here are renowned for its thousands of cherry blossom trees, explains DiPasquale, but within them there is a small golden ring of cedar trees which are the only wood used to cooper barrels for cedar aging sake. Jillian Dara, Forbes, 29 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English couper, cowper, from Middle Dutch cūper (from cūpe cask) or Middle Low German kūper, from kūpe cask; Middle Dutch cūpe & Middle Low German kūpe, from Latin cupa; akin to Greek kypellon cup — more at hive

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1720, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of cooper was in the 14th century

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Cite this Entry

“Cooper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cooper. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

cooper

noun
coo·​per
ˈkü-pər,
ˈku̇p-ər
: a worker who makes or repairs wooden casks, tubs, or barrels

Biographical Definition

Cooper 1 of 4

biographical name (1)

Anthony Ashley see shaftesbury

Cooper

2 of 4

biographical name (2)

Coo·​per ˈkü-pər How to pronounce Cooper (audio)
ˈku̇-
James Fen*i*more ˈfen-ə-ˌmȯr How to pronounce Cooper (audio) 1789–1851 American novelist

Cooper

3 of 4

biographical name (3)

Leon Neil 1930–     American physicist

Cooper

4 of 4

biographical name (4)

Peter 1791–1883 American manufacturer and philanthropist
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