cooper

IPA/ˈkuːpə(r)/
KK[kˈupɚ]IPA/ˈkuːpər/

cooper — noun

  • coopersingular
  • coopersplural

1. a skilled worker whose job is to build or fix big wooden barrels and similar con

1.nounC1
Definition

a skilled worker whose job is to build or fix big wooden barrels and similar containers that are used for holding liquids like wine, beer, or whisky

Example

Lauren became a cooper after the winery offered her a three-year apprenticeship in barrel making.

become + trade: become a cooper

The cooper measured each oak stave carefully before shaping it with a special curved knife.

Synonyms
  • barrel maker

    a more general term that any English speaker will understand right away, while 'cooper' is the traditional name for the trade

  • cask maker

    narrower in scope — focuses on smaller containers used mainly for wine and spirits

Usage Note

This trade is strongly linked to the wine, beer, and whisky industries. Fewer coopers work today because metal and plastic containers have replaced many wooden barrels.

2. James Fenimore Cooper (1789–1851), an American author who wrote famous historica

2.noun
Definition

James Fenimore Cooper (1789–1851), an American author who wrote famous historical novels about life on the frontier, especially 'The Last of the Mohicans'

Example

James Fenimore Cooper wrote about the American frontier at a time when the wilderness was disappearing.

Feng read The Last of the Mohicans for his literature class and found Cooper's descriptions of the forest very vivid.

possessive: Cooper's descriptions

3. Leon Neil Cooper (1930–2024), an American physicist who won the Nobel Prize for

3.noun
Definition

Leon Neil Cooper (1930–2024), an American physicist who won the Nobel Prize for explaining how superconductivity works in certain materials

Example

Leon Cooper shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1972 for his work on superconductivity.

Asher's professor mentioned Cooper pairs when explaining why some metals lose all electrical resistance at low temperatures.

technical term: Cooper pairs

4. Peter Cooper (1791–1883), an American inventor, manufacturer, and philanthropist

4.noun
Definition

Peter Cooper (1791–1883), an American inventor, manufacturer, and philanthropist who founded the Cooper Union college in New York City

Example

Peter Cooper built the first steam locomotive in the United States, which was called the Tom Thumb.

Eric applied to Cooper Union because the college offers free tuition to all admitted students.

cooper — verb

cooper — idiom

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Cooper' is the traditional and most exact term for somebody who makes or fixes wooden barrels — it names the craft itself. 'Barrel maker' is a more general everyday description that any speaker will understand immediately, but it does not carry the same historical weight. 'Cask maker' is narrower, focusing on smaller containers typically used for wine and spirits; a cask maker would not usually build the large barrels a brewery needs. 'Cooperage worker' refers to somebody employed in a cooperage factory and may include helpers who are not fully trained coopers. If you are talking about the traditional craft, use 'cooper'. For general conversation with people who may not know the term, 'barrel maker' is clearer.

barrel makercask makercooperage worker

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • work as a cooper
  • train as a cooper
  • the cooper's trade
  • a master cooper

Prepositions

  • for (an employer)
  • in (a place)

Etymology

Middle DutchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'cooper' comes from Middle English 'couper', which was borrowed from Middle Dutch 'cūper' or Middle Low German 'kūper'. These Germanic words are related to 'cup', because a cooper's barrels are hollow containers used for holding liquids — much like a cup, but on a much larger scale. The verb form appeared later, following a common English pattern where the name of a trade becomes the verb for doing that trade, as with 'carpenter' or 'plumber'.

First known use

15th century

15th century, in the meaning defined above Verb