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
  • And the question is whether the planets even have atmospheres, because M dwarfs are quite active.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 9 July 2026
  • Fell also recommends using tall plants for support, including okra or sweet corn; dwarf varieties of corn are known to do well in containers.
    — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 8 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
  • Soundcore Noise Cancelling Earbuds Deal The lightweight Soundcore Space A40 earbuds feature an advanced adaptive ANC system that automatically blocks up to 98% of distracting external ambient noise.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 13 July 2026
  • Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing and seek shade whenever possible.
    — Callie Zanandrie, CBS News, 12 July 2026
Definition of lightweight
Noun
  • Whole limbs were frocked with ochre insects like coppery Christmas-tree decorations.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 July 2026
  • Most problems with hydrangeas are not caused by a disease or an insect but by poor growing conditions, incorrect care, weather extremes, and soggy soil.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 15 July 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 17 Jul. 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 obdurate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 17
See More

Popular

See More

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

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
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All