A chopper is an informal word for a helicopter. When news reporters talk about traffic from their news chopper, or when someone says a medical chopper airlifted an injured hiker to the hospital, they're talking about a helicopter.

The word can also mean a type of motorcycle with high handlebars, a low seat, and often a custom or stripped-down design. These motorcycles became popular in American culture in the 1960s and 1970s.

In cooking, a chopper is a tool or small appliance used to cut food into pieces quickly. A food chopper might dice onions or nuts in seconds.

The word also describes someone who chops things. A wood chopper splits logs, while a young helper might be the onion chopper in the kitchen.

Less commonly, chopper can mean a type of bicycle built to look like a chopper motorcycle, with similar high handlebars and an extended front fork.