clip-on

[ klip-on, -awn ]

/ ˈklɪpˌɒn, -ˌɔn /

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adjective

designed to be clipped on easily, especially by a self-attached clip: a clip-on bow tie.

noun

a clip-on device, ornament, or the like.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of clip-on

First recorded in 1905–10; adj., noun use of verb phrase clip on

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

How to use clip-on in a sentence

Just the hard-on before you shoot unarmed members of the public.
'Babylon' Review: The Dumb Lives of Trigger-Happy Cops|Melissa Leon|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Three on-the-record stories from a family: a mother and her daughters who came from Phoenix.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003|Vicky Ward|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
You just travel light with carry-on luggage, go to cities that you love, and get to hang out with all your friends.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It was a brick wall that we turned into the on-ramp of a highway.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Could the (thus far) timid trembling give way to a full-on, grand mal seizure?
26 Earthquakes Later, Fracking’s Smoking Gun Is in Texas|James Joiner|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I drew back from the rim of Writing-On-the-Stone, that set of whispered phrases echoing in my ears.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
"This is the most ungrateful outfit of greasers I ever met up with," cried Clip, hurrying toward the second man.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews
Clip still had the club he had taken from the Mexican's companion, and he squared away threateningly.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews
Matt stood at the gate for a few moments, looking for Clip; but, as he could see nothing of him, he went back into the house.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews
Kingston-on-Thames is still provincial in appearance, though now the centre of a great growth of modern suburbs.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries|Charles G. Harper

British Dictionary definitions for clip-on

clip on

verb

(tr) to attach by means of a clip

(intr) to be attached by means of a clipthis clips on here

adjective clip-on

designed to be attached by means of a clipa clip-on bow tie

pl n clip-ons

sunglasses designed to be clipped on to a person's spectacles

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