zip

plural zips

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

   Synonyms: whizz, zing

2. informalEnergy; vigor; vim.
3. CommonwealthIrelandUKA zip fastener.

   Catrin: What sort of doctor wears a suit? My doctor wears a fleece. Can see his nasty little chest hairs poking through the zip…

   2010, Gary Owen, Love Steals Us from Loneliness, London: Bloomsbury Publishing, →DOI, →ISBN, page 16

   Synonyms: slide fastener, zip fastener, zipper

4. slangZero; nothing.

   I know zip about economics.

5. A trip on a zipline.
6. informalcomputingA zip file.
7. computingSynonym of convolution (“a type of mapping function”).

   Synonyms: convolution

8. Synonym of zip zap zop

   Synonyms: zip zap zop

9. slangAn ounce of marijuana.

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

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

   1934, Henry G. Lamond, An Aviary on the Plains, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 35

   Synonyms: whee, whizz, zing

present singular third person zips · participle present zipping · participle past zipped · past zipped

1. transitiveTo close with a zip fastener.

   Synonyms: zip up

2. figurativelytransitiveTo close as if with a zip fastener.

   Zip your lip!

3. transitivecomputingTo compress (one or more computer files) into a single and often smaller file, especially one in the ZIP format.
4. transitivecomputingTo subject to the convolution mapping function.
5. intransitiveTo move rapidly (in a specified direction or to a specified place) with a high-pitched sound.

   The bullet zipped through the air.

6. colloquialintransitiveTo move in haste (in a specified direction or to a specified place).

   Zip down to the shops for some milk.

   2 more examples

   “I’ll be right there,” said Chase. She zipped into the office to pour a bowl of diet treats for Quincy.

   2014, Janet Cantrell, chapter 7, in Fat Cat at Large, New York, N.Y.: Berkley Prime Crime, →ISBN, page 58

   Despite writing that can be confusing — we are not told, for example, how Oishi’s group of 56 ronin ended up just 47, or maybe a supertitle zipped by too quickly — the story moves at a steady clip. And Dachs’s decision to have women play some of the male roles, most prominently Kira, is very effective.

   2022 October 24, Elisabeth Vincentelli, “‘Chushingura — 47 Ronin’ Review: A Sprawling Tale of Loyalty”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 27 Oct 2022

7. transitiveTo make (something) move quickly

   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.

   2011 December 27, Mike Henson, “Norwich 0 - 2 Tottenham”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 28 Oct 2019

8. To travel on a zipline.
9. UKgovernmentTo offer a list of alternately male and female candidates in an attempt to address the shortage of women.

plural zips

1. abbreviationellipsisEllipsis of zip code.

plural ZIPs

1. USA zip code.

   1 more example

   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.

   2024 November 28, Josh Ocampo, “Expensive ZIP Codes Have Something in Common”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 01 Dec 2024

1. USabbreviationacronymAcronym of Zone Improvement Plan (see ZIP Code).
2. uncountablefile formatA common file format for data compression.

plural ZIPs

1. countableinformaluncountablecomputingA zip file.

plural Zips

1. USderogatoryslangsometimesA Sicilian or Italian Mafioso who is relatively new to the United States.

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

   1988, New York Magazine, volume 21, number 16, page 66