zip code

1 of 2

noun

variants or less commonly ZIP code

plural zip codes also ZIP codes

1

: a number that identifies a particular postal delivery area in the U.S.

2

: the geographic area identified by a zip code

zip-code

2 of 2

verb

ˈzip-ˌkōd 

zip-coded; zip-coding; zip-codes

transitive verb

: to furnish with a zip code

Examples of zip code in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The quality of a child’s public school education being determined by ZIP code is categorically unfair AND inefficient. —Dr. Gisele C. Shorter, Hartford Courant, 19 June 2026

The company organizes thousands of AI agents into statistically representative populations—each agent assigned an age, an income, a zip code, a gender, among other things—and surveys them in place of human respondents. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 17 June 2026

Verb

Endless waiting lists, a shortage of local specialists, and zip-code lotteries can leave families waiting for extended periods, even when neurodivergent flags fly high. —K.h. Koehler, USA Today, 13 Apr. 2026

Health coverage should not be a zip-code lottery. —Jesse Jackson Jr, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

zone improvement plan

First Known Use

Noun

1962, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1962, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for zip code

• abode
• anode
• barcode
• bestowed
• boatload
• borrowed
• carload
• caseload
• cathode
• commode
• corrode
• crossroad

Kids Definition

zip code

noun

: a number that identifies each postal delivery area in the U.S.