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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

We’re living in a world where your purchase history, browsing speed and even your ZIP code increasingly dictate the cost of your life.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

National Park visitors will confirm their residency by providing a ZIP code when purchasing a pass online and then must show a U.S. government-issued photo ID that matches when using it, she said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025

The upshot was that hospitals and doctors were unsure when to intervene, and that the access available to patients with the most serious emergencies varied by ZIP code.

From Slate • Jun. 10, 2025

The figure includes roughly 70%, or 1,100, of the 1,626 residential policies still in place in Pacific Palisade’s primary 90272 ZIP code — and thousands more in the neighborhood and elsewhere in the county.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 2025

State health screening information available by ZIP code added more to the story by pinpointing disadvantaged areas, asthma rates and other vulnerabilities.

From Science Daily • May 29, 2024