zipped; zipping; zips
1
: to move, act, or function with speed and vigor
2
: to travel with a sharp hissing or humming sound
1
: to impart speed or force to
2
: to add zest, interest, or life to
—often used with up
3
: to transport or propel with speed
zipped; zipping; zips
1
a
: to close or open with or as if with a zipper
b
: to enclose or wrap by fastening a zipper
2
: to cause (a zipper) to open or shut
: to become open, closed, or attached by means of a zipper
Synonyms
Examples of zip in a Sentence
Verb (1)
a dragonfly zipped by my ear
the fly zipped around the room, trying to find a way to the outside
knowing that she was already late, she went zipping off to meet her next client
Noun (1)
he has surprising zip for a man his age
Noun (2)
I've got zip as far as new ideas go
Recent Examples on the Web
Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 17 July 2024
The album zips by, confidently bouncing across the entire spectrum of pop music from the last few decades.
—Hazlitt, 17 July 2024
That includes a unique experience called Royal Railway Utopia Station, where passengers dine on a virtual train ride while staring at simulated scenery zipping by on giant screens.
—Andrew Liszewski, The Verge, 16 July 2024
Different atomic elements absorb and emit light at very specific colors (the electrons zipping around the atom’s nucleus can only absorb discrete amounts of energy, a fact that gave rise to the development of quantum mechanics in the first place).
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 5 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for zip 
Verb
There’s a great deal of driving, as the storm chasers zip around in search of their next conquest, and there are many, many shots of debris flying into the air and then, dangerously, clattering back to earth.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 17 July 2024
The album zips by, confidently bouncing across the entire spectrum of pop music from the last few decades.
—Hazlitt, 17 July 2024
That includes a unique experience called Royal Railway Utopia Station, where passengers dine on a virtual train ride while staring at simulated scenery zipping by on giant screens.
—Andrew Liszewski, The Verge, 16 July 2024
Different atomic elements absorb and emit light at very specific colors (the electrons zipping around the atom’s nucleus can only absorb discrete amounts of energy, a fact that gave rise to the development of quantum mechanics in the first place).
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 5 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for zip
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'zip.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near zip
Cite this Entry
“Zip.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zip. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
zip
1 of 5 verb
zipped; zipping
1
: to move or act with speed and energy
2
: to travel with a sharp hissing or humming sound
3
: to add energy, interest, or life to
—often used with up
zip
3 of 5 verb
zipped; zipping
: to close or open with a zipper
zip
4 of 5 noun
: zero entry 1 sense 1
won the game 7–zip
Etymology
Verb
a word created to imitate the sound of an object speeding past
Verb
from zipper
Noun
origin unknown
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