Meaning & use
a skipper
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
The person in charge of a boat or ship.
Grammar: Countable; often used with 'the' or 'a'. Can refer to a professional or recreational boat leader.
Patterns
- the skipper of a boat
- a boat skipper
The skipper steered the boat into the harbor.
As skipper, she is responsible for the safety of everyone on board.
The fishing boat's skipper knew the waters well.
nouncountableinformalBritish
The captain of a sports team, especially in cricket or soccer.
Grammar: Countable; informal in this sense. Often used in British English.
Patterns
- team skipper
- the skipper of the team
The team's skipper scored the winning goal.
He was named skipper for the upcoming match.
The skipper gave a pep talk before the game.
Word forms
| plural | skippers |
|---|
Common combinations
- boat skipper
- The boat skipper warned us about the rough sea.
- team skipper
- The team skipper led the players onto the field.
- skipper a boat
- He learned to skipper a boat when he was young.
- skipper a team
- She will skipper the team in the next tournament.
Synonyms and how they differ
- captain
- Captain is the more formal word for the person in charge of a boat or team; skipper is informal and often used affectionately.
- leader
- Leader is a general term for someone in charge; skipper is specific to boats or sports teams.
Word family
- skipper verb
- To be in charge of a boat or team.
Commonly confused: a skipper or skippy?
a skipper vs skippy
Skippy is a different word, sometimes used as a nickname or a brand name; it does not mean a boat captain.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'skipper' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A skipper is a person in charge of a boat or team, so the first sentence is correct. The other options confuse 'skipper' with a kitchen item or food, which is not its meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a skipper”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.