Everyday · Old & rare words · Humour & insults
Whippersnapper: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Whippersnapper noun. A young, inexperienced person who is cheeky or overconfident.
How to say it
WIP-uh-snap-uh/ˈwɪpəˌsnapə/
4 syllables, stressed on the first (WIP).
Whippersnapper in a sentence
Some whippersnapper from head office told me how to do my job.
As a whippersnapper of twenty, I thought I knew everything about wine.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- upstart
- pipsqueak
- young pup
Opposite:
- veteran
- elder
Where whippersnapper comes from
From the 1600s, perhaps from whip-snapper, someone idling about cracking a whip.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
As a _____ of twenty, I thought I knew everything about wine.
- swain
- ninnyhammer
- whippersnapper
Show the answer
whippersnapper: As a whippersnapper of twenty, I thought I knew everything about wine.