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View synonyms for caper

caper

1

[ key-per ]

verb (used without object)

  1. to leap or skip about in a sprightly manner; prance; frisk; gambol.


noun

  1. a playful leap or skip.
  2. a prank or trick; harebrained escapade.

    Synonyms: antic, stunt

  3. a frivolous, carefree episode or activity.

    Synonyms: frolic, spree

  4. Slang. a criminal or illegal act, as a burglary or robbery.

caper

2

[ key-per ]

noun

  1. a spiny shrub, Capparis spinosa, of Mediterranean regions, having roundish leaves and solitary white flowers.
  2. its flower bud, which is pickled and used for garnish or seasoning.

caper

1

/ ˈkeɪpə /

noun

  1. a playful skip or leap
  2. a high-spirited escapade
  3. cut a caper
    cut a capercut capers
    1. to skip or jump playfully
    2. to act or behave playfully; frolic
  4. slang.
    a crime, esp an organized robbery
  5. informal.
    a job or occupation
  6. informal.
    a person's behaviour


verb

  1. intr to leap or dance about in a light-hearted manner

caper

2

/ ˈkeɪpə /

noun

  1. a spiny trailing Mediterranean capparidaceous shrub, Capparis spinosa, with edible flower buds
  2. any of various similar plants or their edible parts See also bean caper capers

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Derived Forms

  • ˈcaperer, noun
  • ˈcaperingly, adverb

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Other Words From

  • caper·er noun
  • caper·ing·ly adverb
  • un·caper·ing adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of caper1

First recorded in 1585–95; probably shortening and alteration of capriole ( def )

Origin of caper2

1350–1400; back formation from capers (taken for plural), Middle English caperes < Latin capparis < Greek kápparis

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Word History and Origins

Origin of caper1

C16: probably from capriole

Origin of caper2

C15: from earlier capers, capres (assumed to be plural), from Latin capparis, from Greek kapparis

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. cut a caper. cut ( def 87 ).

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Example Sentences

Many capers are grab-and-go schemes that unfold quickly, aided by pollinating logistics.

Conroy chops raw flank steak from the pedigreed D’Artagnan, mixing it with capers, green peppercorns and a fermented hot sauce he makes himself.

Toss it with tomatoes, garlic, cayenne peppers, pasta, cheese, and lots of capers.

From Eater

Pop open a jar of caper leaves—yes, off the same plant that gives us briney capers—and have a nibble.

During renormalization, complicated submicroscopic capers tend to just disappear.

His latest film is The Two Faces of January, an old-fashioned caper set in scenic Greece and Turkey.

I sought them out and mapped out what a true-to-life 21st-century caper would look like at the most powerful bank in capitalism.

The Muppets Most Wanted might be the best puppet-led musical mystery caper farce that Hollywood has ever produced.

David O. Russell's sexy caper, American Hustle, opens in a most unusual way.

Why would the Revolutionary Guards, known for running a tight ship, get involved in such a sloppy caper?

If you can induce them to take a step to the right hand, they generally indemnify themselves by cutting a caper to the left.

Tell me, Caper, what idea does even that rough sketch of Venice awake in your imaginative faculties, and all that?'

Caper's face wore a deeply thoughtful look, as he answered: 'I do see it; I do claim to read the lesson you would teach——'

Chandeliers constructed of egg-shells, where candles shone brightly, particularly struck Caper.

As soon as we were alone she began to laugh and caper like a lunatic, singing out, 'You are my rom, I'm your romi.'

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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