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• zip code
  zip code

  noun

  a system used in the U.S. to facilitate the delivery of mail, consisting of a five- or nine-digit code printed directly after the address, the first five digits initial code indicating the state and post office or postal zone, the last four expanded code the box section or number, portion of a rural route, building, or other specific delivery location.
• zip-code
  zip-code

  verb (used with object)

  to provide or mark with a zip code.

zip code

¹ American  

Or ZIP code,

noun

1. a system used in the U.S. to facilitate the delivery of mail, consisting of a five- or nine-digit code printed directly after the address, the first five digits initial code indicating the state and post office or postal zone, the last four expanded code the box section or number, portion of a rural route, building, or other specific delivery location.

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zip-code ² American  

[zip-kohd] / ˈzɪpˌkoʊd /

Or ZIP-code,

verb (used with object)

zip-coded, zip-coding

1. to provide or mark with a zip code.

   Zip-code all mail.

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zip code British  

noun

1. the US equivalent of postcode

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Etymology

Origin of zip code

An Americanism first recorded in 1960–65, Z(one) I(mprovement) P(rogram)

Example Sentences

By the time the Masters teed off, McIlroy could’ve dropped a ball anywhere in that zip code and been ready to hit.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

Purchases during the presale will only be authorized if they are completed using a payment method that has a billing zip code from a qualifying county.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

“There’s a supply-and-demand dynamic that sometimes produces counterintuitive results,” said Samir Shah, chief executive of CareScout, which has a tool that is searchable by zip code to help pinpoint cost estimates.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 4, 2026

"Our zip code is dictating our health, and plastics therefore are a major environmental justice issue, because these are communities of color and low-income communities," Enck said.

From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026

It was afternoon by the time they got to the last round, and Mrs. Olinski sat shivering in a windowless room in a building big enough and official enough to have its own zip code.

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg