unzip
Americanverb (used with object)
-
unzips,
present (3rd person singular)
-
unzipped,
past participle, past
-
unzipping
present participle
verb (used without object)
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unzips,
present (3rd person singular)
-
unzipped,
past participle, past
-
unzipping
present participle
verb
-
to unfasten the zip of (a garment) or (of a zip or garment with a zip) to become unfastened
her skirt unzipped as she sat down
-
(tr) computing to decompress (a file) that had previously been zipped
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
unzipsimple
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unzipssimple
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have unzippedperfect
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has unzippedperfect
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am unzippingprogressive
-
are unzippingprogressive
-
is unzippingprogressive
-
have been unzippingperfect progressive
-
has been unzippingperfect progressive
Past
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unzippedsimple
-
had unzippedperfect
-
was unzippingprogressive
-
were unzippingprogressive
-
had been unzippingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of unzip
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Scientists have long suggested tectonic plates could unzip like this.
From Science Magazine ● Jan. 9, 2024
But when Arabidopsis seedlings sense they're under attack, special enzymes called RNA helicases are produced that unzip the hairpins so the ribosomes can pass through and continue scanning along the mRNA molecule.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2023
“Even the basic mechanics of going to the bathroom and being able to unzip your pants instead of taking the entire onesie off and having your arms drag on the floor is meaningful.”
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 10, 2023
The foam can also be recycled because it has bonds that can unzip the chemical network after it has formed.
From Salon ● Jan. 8, 2023
When I unzip the bag, I see Max's crumpled Statue of Liberty shirt.
From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi
She unzips a cloth pouch of ground tobacco leaf mixed with sage and cedar.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2023
Replication in prokaryotes starts from a sequence of nucleotides on the chromosome called the origin of replication—the point at which the DNA opens up or unzips.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
"It is like he just unzips his head and let's everything fall on the table. That is no way to run an economy," thundered Mr Morrison.
From BBC ● May 19, 2022
“Some people hate what I wear, some people praise it,” she continued as she unzips an oversized black hoodie.
From Fox News ● May 27, 2020
He has a fat backpack, which he sets on the bed and unzips.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
Hailey Bieber modeled it with an unzipped jacket.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Stone wore a sequined gold jumpsuit, unzipped to the bottom of his chest, with a matching shiny cape.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
That was the case Thursday for Jose Luis Ballester, who couldn’t find a bathroom near the 13th tee at the Masters so he unzipped his fly and urinated in Rae’s Creek.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2025
Speaking to The JVS Show on BBC Three Counties Radio, Mrs Fenton said her husband unzipped the "really tight" cover and saw two trainers, followed by two legs.
From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2025
I unzipped the bag and pulled out a pencil and the sketch pad.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
The actress and crew are seen unzipping the black bags and pulling out dozens of bras, which are then tied together and thrown over parts of the structure.
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2026
When they finished, it was immediately apparent how DNA copies itself, by unzipping down the middle, allowing each chain to find a new partner.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2025
"It would have been this slow, ongoing tear, almost like the crust unzipping itself," Anderson said.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 6, 2024
Coffey, the security expert, hides his tracker by unzipping the inner lining, and taping it under a flap of fabric.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 4, 2023
I look at him through my lashes, unzipping the pouch.
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
