ziphttp://www.oed.com/dictionary/zip_v1%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_usezip, v.¹
Revised 2021

zipverb1

  1. 1.
    colloquial.
    1. 1.a.
      1852–
      intransitive. To move briskly or with speed; spec. to move rapidly through the air with a sharp whining, buzzing, or ripping sound (see zip n.1 B.1a). Usually with adverb or prepositional phrase expressing direction.
      1. 1852
        How we did ‘z-i-p!’ Seven miles, at one time, in less than seven minutes.
        Knickerbocker August 182
      2. 1907
        ‘Let her zip,’ said Mr. Colclough.
        A. Bennett, Grim Smile of Five Towns 222
      3. 1917
        The bullets came ‘zipping’ over our heads.
        J. Martin, Diary 7 June in Sapper Martin (2010) 74
      4. 1958
        I found the man..zipping round the garden..on a toy trike.
        Daily Mail 24 February 12/2
      5. 1967
        Rail travelers will be able to make telephone calls while zipping along at speeds of up to 160 miles an hour from New York City to Washington, D.C.
        Electronics 6 March 46/2
      6. 1998
        The ball zipped past him, smacked against the wall and ricocheted back on to his shin.
        K. Shamsie, In City by Sea xvi. 133
    2. 1.b.
      1891–
      transitive. To cause (something) to move quickly; to produce or deliver rapidly. Usually with adverb (esp. out) or prepositional phrase expressing direction.
      1. 1891
        He was zipping off some sharp corners with an odd little plane.
        W. B. Allen, Boyhood of John Kent i. 16
      2. 1902
        He zipped balls over the heather in fast form and plugged ‘Scoops’ Carey's mit full of leather all the while he worked.
        Washington Post 6 April
      3. 1909
        Our clarinets [were] zipping out chromatics that were fairly red hot.
        H. A. Shute, Country Band ix. 107
      4. 1972
        I went on duty soon, zipping drinks to a large crowd.
        M. J. Bosse, Incident at Naha i. 62
      5. 1988
        Then he zips a pass out to his receiver.
        L. Wilson, American Football iii. 53/2
      6. 2002
        In no time at all she..was zipping out letters and answering the telephone like a pro.
        M. J. Rodgers, Cradle & All vi. 107
  2. 2.
    Senses relating to zip fasteners.
    1. 2.a.
      1925–
      intransitive. To open or unfasten, or close or fasten, in a specified way by means of a zip; to have a zip fastener.
      1. 1925
        These good looking zippers, zip up the front and are easier to walk in than most overshoes.
        Lincoln (Nebraska) Sunday Star 1 November 7
      2. 1942
        Zips flawlessly.
        Time 23 February 78 (advertisement)
      3. 1995
        All three pieces conveniently zip together to form one giant size travel bag.
        Leader (Canada) March 32/2
      4. 1999
        Trousers that zip off at the knee to become shorts.
        Select February 64/1
      5. 2011
        The little zip [on the tent] opened a fraction and an eye appeared. Then it zipped shut again.
        M. McCrum, Walking with Wounded xvi. 200
    2. 2.b.
      1927–
      transitive. To close or fasten (something) by means of a zip (frequently with adverb or complement, as shut, on, together, etc.). Also (with open, off, etc.): to open or unfasten (something) by means of a zip (cf. unzip v. 1a).
      1. 1927
        What do these women do with the time they save in zipping and unzipping their galoshes?
        Brandon (Manitoba) Daily Sun 8 February 4/3
      2. 1928
        She buttoned her coat high, zipped her arctics together, pulled on a pair of woolen gloves, squashed her hat down a little tighter.
        American Journal of Nursing vol. 28 1229/1
      3. 1944
        Zipping on her enchanted house-coat over her night-dress.
        E. Bowen in Penguin New Writing vol. 20 60
      4. 1992
        Elliot zipped the flaps closed..and padded over to his cot.
        C. Wilkins, Wolf's Eye 161
      5. 1997
        The surgical whiff from the nappy bag a woman nearby zipped open.
        J. Ryan, Dismantling Mr Doyle i. 4
      6. 2013
        You have the option to zip off the sleeves and reverse them to give yourself an all-new look.
        Onboard March 114/1
      7. 2014
        I zipped my bag, slipped it over my shoulder, and followed Mona out of the shop.
        Z. Fishman, Driving Lessons xv. 197
    3. 2.c.
      1929–
      transitive. With in, into: to enclose or cover (someone or something) in an item of clothing, a bag, etc., by closing or fastening it by means of a zip. Also similarly with out, out of: to remove or uncover (a person or thing) from an item of clothing, a bag, etc., by unzipping it. Also reflexive.
      1. 1929
        Smart! New! Zip on Togs. Active youngsters like to zip themselves into these sturdy togs.
        Border Cities Star (Windsor, Ontario) 13 November 2/6 (advertisement)
      2. 1936
        Easy to ‘Zip’ baby in and out!
        Golden Jubilee Catalogue (Sears, Roebuck & Co.) 163/4
      3. 1956
        Shivering in the icy atmosphere, [I] zipped myself into my double-layer sleeping bag.
        G. N. Patterson, God's Fool i. 14
      4. 1995
        Undecided whether to turn my watch forward or back, I zip it into my carry-on bag and go barearm.
        C. Morton, Oceans Apart v. 51
      5. 2000
        Mother's body was zipped into a bag and stretchered down the stairs.
        I. Pattison, Stranger here Myself (2001) ix. 301
      6. 2014
        Marie zipped her into a full-skirted dress.
        C. Sandy, What would Mary Berry Do? 285
    4. 2.d.
      1941–
      transitive. figurative. To keep (one's mouth or lips) closed so as not to talk or divulge information. Also in to zip it: to stop talking. Frequently used in commands to stop talking, as in zip it, zip your lip. Cf. to zip up 2d at Phrasal verbs, zipper v. 2.
      In quot. 1939 the transitivity and precise meaning are not entirely clear, although a connection with this sense appears very likely.
      1. [1939
        Zip, shut up.
        L. B. Howsley, Argot 55]
      2. 1941
        To Protect Our Boys From Enemy Saboteurs, Zip Your Lip!
        Arizona Republic 16 December 20/2 (caption)
      3. 1973
        Authority, including the B.B.C., did not speculate about guilt. Mouths were carefully zipped.
        J. Drummond, Bang! Bang! You're Dead! viii. 13
      4. 1990
        When they learn to zip their lips, they won't have leaks to bitch about anymore.
        P. Cornwell, Post-mortem (1998) iii. 53
      5. 2000
        I've had a long day. I don't want to hear any more about it. I've had enough, so zip it.
        P. Scanlan in J. Adams et al., Girls' Night In 231
    5. 2.e.
      1958–
      transitive. In scientific contexts: (of polymeric molecules, membranes, etc.) to bind or fasten to (another, or each other) as if by a zip fastener, esp. by a linear or sequential series of bonds or links. Also intransitive and reflexive: to become attached to another in this manner. Frequently with up, to, or together. Cf. zipper v. 3.
      Quot. 1954 shows an earlier reference to molecular binding being likened to the action of a zip, without using the verb.
      1. [1954
        When in a disturbed state they [sc. molecular chains] have been likened to a partly opened zip fastener, the two sides of which have no difficulty in fitting together when they are brought together.
        Journal of Royal Society of Arts vol. 102 848]
      2. 1958
        Everybody knows, of course, that the thing for them [sc. amino acids] to do is to get lined up on a template and get ‘zipped’ up.
        Quarterly Review of Biology vol. 33 254/2
      3. 1969
        Both strands [of DNA] remain aligned during denaturation and ‘zip’ together as hydrogen bonds reform.
        Science Journal August 51/2
      4. 1989
        The sides of the furrow are wide at first, but later the sides are zipped together by interacting lamellipodia.
        Philosophical Transactions (Royal Society) B. vol. 325 34
      5. 1995
        A large portion of DNA diagnostics relies on zipping a ‘known’ strand of DNA (for instance, from virus) to a matching piece of DNA in the sample being tested.
        New Scientist 4 March 21/2
      6. 2009
        The RNA, once formed, is separated from the DNA molecule, which zips itself back up.
        D. Nettle, Evol. & Genetics for Psychology ii. 33
  3. 3.
    1989–
    transitive. Computing. Also with capital initial and in form ZIP. To compress (a file) by adding it to a zip archive file (see zip n.1 B.3). Opposed to unzip v. 4.
    1. 1989
      An entire directory tree can be zipped and restored using the P and R options.
      comp.sys.ibm.pc 9 February (Usenet newsgroup, accessed 10 Oct. 2011)
    2. 1993
      System after system threw in with Katz and ZIPped their formerly ARCed files.
      Computer Shopper July 548/2
    3. 2002
      To store non-music folders on the Nomad, you must first Zip them into compressed files.
      Chicago Tribune 13 January v. 4/6
    4. 2009
      On a PC, you can zip the file using an application like WinZip.
      L. S. King, Photoshop CS4 xvi. 620

zip, v.¹ was revised in March 2021.

zip, v.¹ was last modified in December 2024.