From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishskipperskip‧per1 /ˈskɪpə $ -ər/ noun [countable] informal 1 TTAIN CHARGE OFthe person in charge of a ship SYN captain2 DSthe leader of a sports team SYN captain
Examples from the Corpus
skipper• The best chance Town had in the first half came from this corner and it came from skipper Colin Calderwood.• He nodded, and was very polite and respectful, his usual attitude to his skipper.• He's looked the full business as an inspirational skipper.• They may have problems, however, keeping skippers and crews in check.• Middlesbrough skipper Alan Kernaghan, who faces a two-match ban, received another booking when he fouled Halsall.• And a hamstring injury has put skipper Ellery Hanley out of the starting line-up against Rovers.• Our experience should be of value to skippers thinking of calling here in 1991.skipperskipper2 verb [transitive] informal IN CHARGE OFto be in charge of a ship, sports team etc – used especially in news reports SYN captain→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
skipper• In 5 days novices learn enough to skipper a yacht safely on an Ionian flotilla.• Heaven Can Wait, skippered by Harold Cudmore, led her group, finishing third overall on corrected time.• If you've never sailed before, go to Nidri where one option teaches you how to skipper during the first week.• And two years later, he skippered the side when they lost ingloriously to Sheffield Eagles in a monumental upset.• Villa-Flotilla offers a course which teaches even complete beginners to skipper their own yachts.Origin skipper1 (1300-1400) Middle Dutch schipper, from schip “ship” 