Refers to the captain of a ship or boat, especially a small vessel, or the leader of a sports team. Used in nautical and sports contexts.
The skipper took the helm of the yacht.
He served as skipper in this yacht race.
He was appointed skipper of the soccer team.
He gained experience and became the team's skipper.
Loanword from English 'skipper', derived from Middle Dutch 'schipper' (shipman).