zip
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/zɪp/
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A swift movement or sound, the act of fastening with a zipper, a slang term for nothing, and a common computer archive format.
Examples
- She zipped her backpack before the hike.
- After the rain, she zipped up her raincoat.
- She zipped down the hill on her bike.
- His bank account showed zip after the fees.
- They zipped the suitcase tightly for the trip.
Similar words
button
clasppackage
speed
sprint
compressed archive
zoom
archive
null
fasten
Meanings
Usage
Use zip for fast movement or a quick sound.
Examples
- The cheetah zips across the savanna.
- She zipped down the hill on her bike.
- He zipped through the hallway to catch the bus.
- The wind zips past the open window.
- The runner zips past the finish line in record time.
- A toy car zips along the track.
Common mistakes
The third‑person –s is dropped, and the verb is sometimes confused with the noun meaning zero.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| He zip to the store.
| He zips to the store.
|
| She ziped across the field.
| She zipped across the field.
|
| I will zip to the meeting.
| I will run to the meeting.
|
| They ziped the race.
| They ran the race.
|
Similar words
dash
race
sprint
hurry
speed
zoom
Usage
Use zip for fastening a zipper.
Examples
- She zipped her backpack before the hike.
- He zips his coat every morning.
- The child zipped the toy's small zipper.
- I need to zip my jacket because it's cold.
- They zipped the suitcase tightly for the trip.
- After the rain, she zipped up her raincoat.
Common mistakes
The past tense is often misspelled, and the verb is sometimes used for the noun meaning zero.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| She ziped her jacket.
| She zipped her jacket.
|
| He will ziped the bag tomorrow.
| He will zip the bag tomorrow.
|
| I zip my coat to keep warm.
| I zip up my coat to keep warm.
|
| They zip the files to close the jacket.
| They zip the jacket to close it.
|
Similar words
fasten
secure
close
button
claspseal
Usage
Use zip to indicate a total lack of something.
Examples
- After the storm, the power was zip.
- His bank account showed zip after the fees.
- She said the meeting was zip, no agenda.
- The report returned zip, no data.
- I got zip on the quiz, so I studied more.
- The fridge was empty, just zip inside.
Common mistakes
It is often confused with the verb meaning to fasten, and the plural form is mistakenly added.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| I have three zip in my wallet.
| I have zero zip in my wallet.
|
| There is zipes left.
| There is zip left.
|
| She got zip on the test.
| She got zero on the test.
|
| We need to zip the project.
| We need to finish the project.
|
Similar words
nil
naught
nothing
zero
none
null
Usage
Use zip when referring to the archive format.
Examples
- I downloaded the project zip from the server.
- Please zip the files before sending them.
- The software can zip large folders efficiently.
- She extracted the zip using WinZip.
- The backup is stored as a zip on the cloud.
- You can zip multiple documents into one archive.
Common mistakes
It is often confused with other archive formats, and the verb is misused for the noun meaning zero.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| I need to zip the document to get zip.
| I need to zip the document to compress it.
|
| The file is a zip, not a rar.
| The file is a zip archive, not a rar.
|
| She zipped the folder to get nothing.
| She zipped the folder to compress it.
|
| Download the zip and unzip it with a zip.
| Download the zip and unzip it with a program.
|
Similar words
archive
compressed file
package
bundle
zipped file
compressed archive
Usage
Use context to choose the sense, whether you mean fast motion, a zipper fastener, zero amount, or a compressed file.
Common mistakes
The third‑person –s is dropped, giving he zip instead of he zips.
Etymology
From an onomatopoeic imitation of a quick sound, first recorded in the early 19th century, and later shortened from zipper in the mid‑20th century.
FAQ
What does zip mean as a verb?
It can mean to move quickly with a short sound, or to fasten something using a zipper.
How is zip used to talk about a zipper?
As a verb, zip means to close or secure a garment by pulling its zipper up or down.
What does zip mean when someone says they have zip?
In informal slang it means zero or nothing, indicating a lack of something.
How is zip used in computing?
It refers to a compressed archive file format that bundles files into a smaller .zip file.
Yes, its past tense and past participle are formed regularly as zipped.
Where does the word zip come from?
It originated as an onomatopoeic word imitating a quick sound and later became short for zipper.
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