dapper

adjective dap·per \ ˈda-pər \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of dapper

1 a : neat and trim in appearance

looked very dapper in their uniforms

b : very spruce and stylish

a dapper new suit

2 : alert and lively in movement and manners

a dapper old gentleman

—

dapperly

adverb

—

dapperness

noun

See dapper defined for English-language learners

See dapper defined for kids

Examples of dapper in a Sentence

The students all looked very dapper in their uniforms.
the dapper gentleman drew admiring glances from all over the ballroom

Recent Examples of dapper from the Web

Walking the carpet in Los Angeles, Gus looked just as dapper as his famous father, dressed in a black Appaman suit and black shoes, wearing his dark hair slicked back.

— jen juneau, PEOPLE.com, "Family Movie Night! Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Hilarie Burton Take Son Gus, 8, to Rampage Premiere," 6 Apr. 2018
Matt, a dapper toothpaste salesman, and his wife, Kim, a soft-spoken physical therapist, seemed helplessly in love with each other, but the hunt quickly turned passive-aggressive.

— bobby finger, New York Times, "Letter of Recommendation: ‘House Hunters’," 3 Apr. 2018
Blake wore a Chanel couture dress with strappy sandals, and Ryan went for a dapper navy suit, brown tie, and glasses for the occasion.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Ryan Reynolds Brought His Mom to the Red Carpet and Our Hearts Just Exploded," 3 Apr. 2018
There was Lucian Wintrich, an improbable, dapper White House correspondent for conspiratorial pro-Trump outlet Gateway Pundit, recently criticized for inventing rumors about survivors of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting.

— alexander nazaryan, Newsweek, "Is Silicon Valley Silencing Conservatives on Social Media?," 15 Mar. 2018
Gentlemen: Classic black or charcoal gray overcoat (ideally a Chesterfield style with velvet collar) and dapper scarf will do.

— micaela english, Town & Country, "What "Black Tie" Means Now," 8 Sep. 2017
Today, professionals no longer need be dapper, and only one store from that period remains in business: Boyds.

— steven kurutz, New York Times, "The Last Great Clothing Store," 29 Mar. 2018
Letterman, whose production company used to own The Late Late Show, had already had Corden as a guest on his own show and knows better than anyone that successful late-night talk show hosts are invariably self-confident, smart, dapper and knowing.

— paul hoggart, Newsweek, "James Corden Hopes To Keep You Up Late Late," 15 Mar. 2015
Bank robberies the dapper suspect allegedly committed are: -- Dec. 18, 2015: TD Bank, 1371 W. Palmetto Park Rd.

— linda trischitta, Sun-Sentinel.com, "'Business Bandit' getting more aggressive during bank robberies, FBI says," 14 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dapper.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.