clip

1
[ klip ]
See synonyms for: clipclippedclipping on Thesaurus.com

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.

  1. to cut or trim the hair or fleece of; shear: to clip a poodle.

  2. to pare the edge of (a coin).: Compare sweat (def. 22).

  3. to cut short; curtail: We clipped our visit by a week to return home earlier.

  4. to pronounce rapidly, with precise articulation and with omission of certain sounds, as of unstressed vowels: an annoying habit of clipping his words.

  5. to shorten (a word or phrase) by dropping one or more syllables.

  6. Informal. to hit with a quick, sharp blow: He clipped him on the jaw with a sudden punch.

  7. 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.

  1. to move swiftly: He clipped along the highway on his motorcycle.

  2. Archaic. to fly rapidly.

noun
  1. the act of clipping.

  2. anything clipped off, especially the wool shorn at a single shearing of sheep.

  1. the amount of wool shorn in one season.

  2. clips, (used with a plural verb) an instrument for clipping; shears.

  3. Informal. clipping (def. 2).

  4. Informal. a quick, sharp blow: a clip on the jaw.

  5. rate; pace: at a rapid clip.

Origin of clip

1
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English clippen, cleppen, from Old Norse klippa “to clip, cut”

Other words from clip

  • clip·pa·ble, adjective

Words Nearby clip

Other definitions for clip (2 of 2)

clip2
[ klip ]

noun
  1. a device that grips and holds tightly.

  2. a metal or plastic clasp for holding together papers, letters, etc.

  1. an article of jewelry or other decoration clipped onto clothing, shoes, hats, etc.

  2. a flange on the upper surface of a horseshoe.

  3. Also called lug .Shipbuilding. a short length of angle iron connecting and maintaining the angle between two members or surfaces.

  4. Archaic. an embrace.

verb (used with or without object),clipped, clip·ping.
  1. to grip tightly; fasten with or as if with a clip.

  1. Football. to block by illegally throwing the body across a player's legs from behind.

  2. Archaic. to embrace or hug.

Origin of clip

2
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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use clip in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for clip (1 of 2)

clip1

/ (klɪp) /


verbclips, clipping or clipped (mainly tr)
  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. British to punch (a hole) in something, esp a ticket

  1. to curtail or cut short

  2. to move a short section from (a film, etc)

  3. to shorten (a word)

  4. (intr) to trot or move rapidly, esp over a long distance: a horse clipping along the road

  5. informal to strike with a sharp, often slanting, blow

  6. slang to obtain (money) by deception or cheating

  7. US slang to murder; execute

  8. clip someone's wings

    • to restrict someone's freedom

    • to thwart someone's ambition

noun
  1. the act or process of clipping

  2. something clipped off

  1. an extract from a film, newspaper, etc

  2. informal a sharp, often slanting, blow

  3. informal speed: a rapid clip

  4. Australian and NZ the total quantity of wool shorn, as in one place, season, etc

  5. another word for clipped form

Origin of clip

1
C12: from Old Norse klippa to cut; related to Low German klippen

Derived forms of clip

  • clippable, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for clip (2 of 2)

clip2

/ (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

  1. the pointed flange on a horseshoe that secures it to the front part of the hoof

verbclips, clipping or clipped (tr)
  1. to hold together tightly, as with a clip

  2. archaic, or dialect to embrace

Origin of clip

2
Old English clyppan to embrace; related to Old Frisian kleppa, Lithuanian glebiu

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012