Zip

/zɪp/ intj, name, noun, verb, slang

intj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: The high-pitched sound of a small object moving rapidly through air.
  • Grammar: zip is listed as intj, name, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: postal code, slide fastener, vigor, zip code.
  • Useful contrasts: decompress, extract, languor.
  • Usage evidence: Can you tell me what the zip code is for New York?

How to use "zip"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "zip" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "zip" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "zip" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "zip" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "zip" is acting as intj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "postal code" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "zip", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The high-pitched sound of a small object moving rapidly through air.
  2. 2
    Ellipsis of zip code. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
  3. 3
    A zip code. US

    "For the fifth consecutive year, the 94027 ZIP code (primarily Atherton) led the nation with a median list price of $7.75 million. Two more California ZIPs — both picturesque, coastal communities — made the top 10: 92657 (mostly Newport Coast), at $4.965 million, and 93108 (primarily Santa Barbara), at $4.85 million."

  4. 4
    A zip file. countable, informal, uncountable
  5. 5
    A Sicilian or Italian Mafioso who is relatively new to the United States. US, derogatory, slang, sometimes

    "The proprietor was a "Zip" — a Sicilian-born mobster — who was running a gambling operation that cut into Godfather Gotti's turf."

Show 12 more definitions
  1. 6
    a fastener for locking together two toothed edges by means of a sliding tab wordnet
  2. 7
    Energy; vigor; vim. informal
  3. 8
    forceful exertion wordnet
  4. 9
    A zip fastener. Commonwealth, Ireland, UK
  5. 10
    a code of letters and digits added to a postal address to aid in the sorting of mail wordnet
  6. 11
    Zero; nothing. slang

    "I know zip about economics."

  7. 12
    a quantity of no importance; thing (object:), singular, negative pronoun; pronoun, thing, singular; quantifier: negative existential wordnet
  8. 13
    A trip on a zipline.
  9. 14
    A zip file. informal
  10. 15
    Synonym of convolution (“type of mapping function”).
  11. 16
    Synonym of zip zap zop
  12. 17
    An ounce of marijuana. slang
Verb
  1. 1
    To close with a zip fastener. transitive
  2. 2
    close with a zipper wordnet
  3. 3
    To close as if with a zip fastener. figuratively, transitive

    "Zip your lip!"

  4. 4
    move very fast wordnet
  5. 5
    To compress (one or more computer files) into a single and often smaller file, especially one in the ZIP format. transitive
Show 6 more definitions
  1. 6
    To subject to the convolution mapping function. transitive
  2. 7
    To move rapidly (in a specified direction or to a specified place) with a high-pitched sound. intransitive

    "The bullet zipped through the air."

  3. 8
    To move in haste (in a specified direction or to a specified place). colloquial, intransitive

    "Zip down to the shops for some milk."

  4. 9
    To make (something) move quickly transitive

    "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."

  5. 10
    To travel on a zipline.
  6. 11
    To offer a list of alternately male and female candidates in an attempt to address the shortage of women. UK
Intj
  1. 1
    Imitative of high-pitched sound of a small object moving rapidly through air. onomatopoeic

    "`Zip!' Just like that, an exquisitely shaped fragment of a flashing rainbow in flight flits across in front of us[.]"

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    Acronym of Zone Improvement Plan (see ZIP Code). US, abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
  2. 2
    A common file format for data compression. uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms
postal codeslide fastenervigorzip codezipperaggressiveness

Example

"Can you tell me what the zip code is for New York?"

Common questions

What does "zip" mean?

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

What is a synonym for "zip"?

Common synonyms include: postal code, slide fastener, vigor, zip code, zipper, aggressiveness.

How do you use "zip" in a sentence?

Can you tell me what the zip code is for New York?

How do you pronounce "zip"?

Pronounced /zɪp/.

Etymology

Onomatopoeic.

More for "zip"

Synonyms

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