CAPER Definition & Meaning

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caper

[ key-per ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used without object)

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

noun

a playful leap or skip.
a prank or trick; harebrained escapade.
Synonyms: ,
a frivolous, carefree episode or activity.
Synonyms: ,
Slang. a criminal or illegal act, as a burglary or robbery.

caper

[ key-per ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

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

caper

/ ˈ��ɪ��ə /

noun

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

verb

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

caper

/ ˈ��ɪ��ə /

noun

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

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Derived Forms

ˈ��Բ��, adverb
ˈ��, noun

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Other �y��vlog Forms

��p��·�� noun
��p��·��Բ�·�� adverb
�ܲ�·��p��·��Բ� adjective

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�y��vlog 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 ��á��貹��

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�y��vlog 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

cut a caper. cut ( def 87 ).

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

But this isn’t a thriller or a caper in the vein of, say, Elmore Leonard.

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Saeed says he wasn’t trying too hard with the representation angle; he just built the framework for a crazy caper and placed a Pakistani American family within it.

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This kind of gory caper teeters on formulaic.

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I made pasta puttanesca.I'm sure I didn't rinse the capers.

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This hilarious and expertly crafted new clay-animation caper begins by reminding us that all those years ago, Wallace and Gromit thwarted McGraw’s attempt to steal an invaluable blue diamond.

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

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