clip

¹

[ klip ]

verb (used with object)

, clipped, clipped or (Literary) clipt, clip·ping.

1. to cut, or cut off or out, as with shears:

   to clip a rose from a bush.

2. to trim by cutting:

   to clip a hedge.

3. to cut or trim the hair or fleece of; shear:

   to clip a poodle.

4. to pare the edge of (a coin). Compare sweat ( def 22 ).
5. to cut short; curtail:

   We clipped our visit by a week to return home earlier.

6. to pronounce rapidly, with precise articulation and with omission of certain sounds, as of unstressed vowels:

   an annoying habit of clipping his words.

7. to shorten (a word or phrase) by dropping one or more syllables.
8. Informal. to hit with a quick, sharp blow:

   He clipped him on the jaw with a sudden punch.

9. Slang. to take or get money from by dishonest means; swindle; rook.

verb (used without object)

, clipped, clipped or (Literary) clipt, clip·ping.

1. to clip or cut something.
2. to cut articles or pictures from a newspaper, magazine, etc.
3. to move swiftly:

   He clipped along the highway on his motorcycle.

4. Archaic. to fly rapidly.

noun

1. the act of clipping.
2. anything clipped off, especially the wool shorn at a single shearing of sheep.
3. the amount of wool shorn in one season.
4. clips, (used with a plural verb) an instrument for clipping; shears.
5. film clip.
6. Informal. clipping ( def 2 ).
7. Informal. a quick, sharp blow:

   a clip on the jaw.

8. rate; pace:

   at a rapid clip.

clip

²

[ klip ]

noun

1. a device that grips and holds tightly.
2. a metal or plastic clasp for holding together papers, letters, etc.
3. cartridge clip ( def ).
4. an article of jewelry or other decoration clipped onto clothing, shoes, hats, etc.
5. a flange on the upper surface of a horseshoe.
6. Also called lug. Shipbuilding. a short length of angle iron connecting and maintaining the angle between two members or surfaces.
7. Archaic. an embrace.

verb (used with or without object)

, clipped, clip·ping.

1. to grip tightly; fasten with or as if with a clip.
2. to encircle; encompass.
3. Football. to block by illegally throwing the body across a player's legs from behind.
4. Archaic. to embrace or hug.

clip

¹

/ klɪp /

verb

1. also intr to cut, snip, or trim with or as if with scissors or shears, esp in order to shorten or remove a part
2. to punch (a hole) in something, esp a ticket
3. to curtail or cut short
4. to move a short section from (a film, etc)
5. to shorten (a word)
6. intr to trot or move rapidly, esp over a long distance

   a horse clipping along the road

7. informal.
   to strike with a sharp, often slanting, blow
8. slang.
   to obtain (money) by deception or cheating
9. slang.
   to murder; execute
10. clip someone's wings
    1. to restrict someone's freedom
    2. to thwart someone's ambition

noun

1. the act or process of clipping
2. something clipped off
3. an extract from a film, newspaper, etc
4. informal.
   a sharp, often slanting, blow
5. informal.
   speed

   a rapid clip

6. the total quantity of wool shorn, as in one place, season, etc
7. another word for clipped form

clip

²

/ klɪp /

noun

1. any of various small implements used to hold loose articles together or to attach one article to another
2. an article of jewellery that can be clipped onto a dress, hat, etc
3. short for paperclip cartridge clip
4. the pointed flange on a horseshoe that secures it to the front part of the hoof

verb

1. to hold together tightly, as with a clip
2. archaic.
   to embrace

Derived Forms

• ˈclippable, adjective

Other Words From

• clippa·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of clip¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English clippen, cleppen, from Old Norse klippa “to clip, cut”

Origin of clip²

First recorded before 900; Middle English clippen, cluppen, cleppen “to embrace, grasp, hold,” Old English clyppan “to embrace, clasp, cherish”; cognate with Old Frisian kleppa

Word History and Origins

Origin of clip¹

C12: from Old Norse klippa to cut; related to Low German klippen

Origin of clip²

Old English clyppan to embrace; related to Old Frisian kleppa, Lithuanian glebiu

Example Sentences

A brief clip superimposed one of those performances on footage from “Gladiator II.”

From Los Angeles Times

Syria's state news agency claimed "sleeper cells" were publishing clips on social media from public areas of Damascus to suggest they had taken control of them "with the aim of spreading chaos among citizens".

From BBC

The deputies also suggested the axe might be tied to the death on Jeanne Court, according to the audio clips.

From Los Angeles Times

Memorabilia are laid out on the dining room table, a memory jog as Dec. 7 approaches: campaign medals, a photo with President Trump, a framed news clipping and a black-and-white of the USS Curtiss.

From Los Angeles Times

Trump sued the network in October after CBS ran different clips of a Kamala Harris interview on "60 Minutes" and "Face The Nation."

From Salon

Related Words

• mow
• prune
• shave
• shear
• snip
• trim