zip

See also ZIP

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: zĭp, IPA: /zɪp/, SAMPA: /zIp/

  Rhymes: -ɪp

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Etymology 1

Onomatopoeic.

Noun

zip (plural zips)

1. The high-pitched sound of a small object moving rapidly through air.
2. Energy; vigor; vim
3. (UK) A zip fastener.
4. Zero; nothing

Synonyms

• (sound): whizz, zing
• (fastener): slide fastener, zip fastener, zipper (chiefly US)

Translations

high-pitched sound

Finnish: vinkuna (fi), viuhina (fi) (continuous), vingahdus (fi), viuhahdus (fi) (individual)

Russian: свист (ru) m. Spanish: zumbido (es) m.

energy, vigor, vim

Finnish: puhti (fi), virta (fi) German: Schwung (de) m.

Russian: живость (ru) f. Spanish: brío (es) m.

zip fastener

Catalan: cremallera (ca) f. Chinese: Mandarin: 拉鏈 (zh), 拉链 (zh) (lāliàn) Finnish: vetoketju (fi) German: Reißverschluss (de) m.

Hungarian: cipzár (hu) Macedonian: патент (mk) (patént) m. Russian: застёжка-молния (ru) f. Spanish: zíper (es) m., cierre (es) m. Volapük: sleifülöm (vo), tutilafärmüköm (vo)

Interjection

zip!

1. The high-pitched sound of a small object moving rapidly through air.

Synonyms

• whee!, whizz!, zing!

Translations

high-pitched sound (interjection)

Finnish: viuh (fi)

Verb

zip (third-person singular simple present zips, present participle zipping, simple past and past participle zipped)

1. (transitive) To close with a zip fastener.
2. (transitive, figuratively) To close as if with a zip fastener.

   zip one's lip

3. (transitive) To convert a computer file into a smaller package.
4. (intransitive) (followed by a preposition) To move rapidly (in a specified direction or to a specified place) with a high-pitched sound.

   The bullet zipped through the air.

5. (intransitive, colloquial) (followed by a preposition) To move in haste (in a specified direction or to a specified place).

   Zip down to the shops for some milk.

6. (transitive) To make (something) move quickly
   • 2011 December 27, Mike Henson, “Norwich 0 - 2 Tottenham”, BBC Sport:

     Tottenham also initially struggled to create genuine goal-scoring opportunities, with Bale, Luka Modric and Rafael van der Vaart zipping passes around to little effect.

Derived terms

unzip zip- zip down Zip drive zip file

zip-front zip it zip one's lip zip up zip wire, zip-wire

Synonyms

• (close with a zip fastener): zip up

Translations

to close with a zip fastener

Finnish: sulkea vetoketjulla (fi)

to close as if with a zip fastener

Finnish: sulkea (fi), sinetöidä (fi)

to convert a computer file into a smaller package

Finnish: pakata (fi)

German: zippen (de)

to move rapidly with a high-pitched sound

Finnish: ujeltaa (fi)

to move in haste

Finnish: vilahtaa (fi), kipaista (fi)

Etymology 2

From zip code

Noun

zip (plural zips)

1. (US) Shortened form of ZIP code, the US postal code.
2. (US) Any postal code, for any country.

See also

• postcode (UK)
• postal code (UK)

Translations

US postal code

Catalan: codi postal (ca) m. Finnish: postinumero (fi), zip-koodi (fi)

German: PLZ (de) f., Postleitzahl (de) f.

any postal code

Catalan: codi postal (ca) m. Chinese: Mandarin: 郵政編碼 (zh), 邮政编码 (zh) (yóuzhèngbiānmǎ)

Finnish: postinumero (fi) German: PLZ (de) f., Postleitzahl (de) f. Swedish: postnummer (sv)