whippersnapper

noun

ˈ(h)wi-pər-ˌsna-pər How to pronounce whippersnapper (audio)
Definition of whippersnappernext
as in dwarf
a person of no importance or influence some young whippersnapper piped up with a pointless comment

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of whippersnapper And the Sharks have no obvious replacement for him — no young whippersnapper in the pipeline ready for his moment. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 30 Dec. 2025 And Markey has defeated whippersnapper-type political foes before. — David Mark, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2025 The reasons for the show’s appeal are manifold, starting with the odd-trio chemistry of the three leads (Short, plus his longtime co-conspirator Steve Martin and relative whippersnapper Selena Gomez). — Damon Wise, Deadline, 8 Aug. 2025 The new telescope does, though, have a whippersnapper nipping at its heels. — Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 28 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for whippersnapper
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whippersnapper
  1. dwarf
  2. cipher
  3. nobody
  4. lightweight
  5. insect
  6. twerp
Noun
  • Around the dozens of containers that make Toolik the US’s largest research station in the Arctic, musk ox and caribou graze on dwarf birches and fragrant labrador tea, while Arctic ground squirrels pop out of their burrows to survey the tundra.
    — Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
  • The two planets, named TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c, orbit an F7-type dwarf star roughly 1,110 light years away in the southern constellation of Volans.
    — Chris Young July 30, Refractor, 30 July 2026
Definition of dwarf
Noun
  • But in my view, our relationships to animals, whose lives are untouched by the existential woes and artifices of personhood, are the richest and most evident ciphers for our own often inscrutable psyches.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 June 2026
  • Consider a dashboard that shows applications, including keys and libraries; network traffic protocols and ciphers; hardware, such as HSMs and TPMs; and third-party dependencies, including cryptographic or software bills of materials.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Definition of cipher
Noun
  • Yvonne and Nick’s disastrous wedding dinner is the day the cast went from nobodies to actual practitioners of the reality-television arts and sciences.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 1 July 2026
  • Despite the tragicomic instability and the rotating cast of nobodies temporarily tasked with running the country, when seen in macroeconomic terms, Peru appears to be doing just fine, thank you.
    — Daniel Alarcón, New Yorker, 4 June 2026
Definition of nobody
Noun
  • The lightweight, waterproof, and washable style is available for $50 at REI.
    — Destinee Scott, Travel + Leisure, 28 July 2026
  • Experts recommend scheduling strenuous outdoor activities to to early morning or evening hours, wearing lightweight and loose-fitting clothing when possible and drinking plenty of water.
    — Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 27 July 2026
Definition of lightweight
Noun
  • Horticultural and neem oil work by suffocating the insects and disrupting their feeding cycle.
    — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Companion planting with flowering plants, like yarrow, zinnias, and sunflowers, attracts beneficial insects that naturally control pests.
    — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of insect
Noun
  • Once a sky-blue democracy is restored, may Trump’s days of infamy be ruled illegitimate and his name and legacy duly tainted by all of history, darkly blackened or cautiously reddened in the honest records that this twerp and his twisted cohorts have conspired so heinously to whitewash.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
  • Taking on classic buddy-comedy attributes, Sam is the together one with a programmatic path toward life as a wealthy but hollow finance twerp, while Ari is the brash, cracked, less-medicated-than-he-should-be bull in a china shop.
    — Joe Reid, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025
Definition of twerp

Browse Nearby Words

whippers
whippersnapper
whippersnappers
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Whippersnapper.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whippersnapper. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of invidious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All