ziphttp://www.oed.com/dictionary/zip_n3%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_usezip, n.³
Revised 2021

zipnoun3

  1. 1962–
    In the United States: a 5- or 9-digit code representing a specific geographical location which can be added to a postal address to facilitate the sorting and delivery of mail; = zip code n. 1. Cf. postcode n.
    Five-digit zip codes were first used in 1963; in 1983 an optional four-digit extension to these, further specifying the location, was introduced.
    1. 1962
      Speedier delivery will be made possible by a zone improvement plan code called Zip, designed for use by the nation's large volume mailers.
      Chicago Daily Defender 29 November 2/4
    2. 1969
      Once a person has miswritten the zip, the computer just misdirects the mail.
      Computers & Humanities vol. 4 69
    3. 1977
      A 13-cent U.S. commemorative honoring 50 years of talking pictures will go on sale Thursday in Hollywood, Cal., where the postmaster Zip is 90028.
      Chicago Tribune 2 October vi. 26/4
    4. 1999
      ‘What's the zip?’ ‘Nine oh oh four eight. Couple of blocks from Chasen's.’
      E. Leonard, Be Cool (2005) i. 5

zip, n.³ was revised in March 2021.

zip, n.³ was last modified in July 2023.