zipper

American  

[zip-er] / ˈzɪp ər /

noun

1. Also called slide fastener.  a device used for fastening clothing, valises, etc., consisting of two toothed tracks or spiral metal or plastic coils, each bordering one of two edges to be joined, and a piece that either interlocks or separates them when pulled.

2. a person or thing that zips. zip.

3. a rubber and fabric boot or overshoe fastened up the leg by a zipper.

4. a large illuminated display of news bulletins or advertisements that rapidly and continously flash by on an upper part of a building.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. zip.

zipper British  

/ ˈzɪpə /

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): zip.  a fastening device operating by means of two parallel rows of metal or plastic teeth on either side of a closure that are interlocked by a sliding tab

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Other Word Forms

• zipperless adjective

Etymology

Origin of zipper

1920–25, formerly a trademark; zip ¹, -er ¹

Explanation

A zipper is a sliding fastener. You'll get cold and wet if you don't zip the zipper on your coat during a blizzard. Zippers are usually made of metal or plastic teeth that fit together as you slide a tab along them. It's common to have a zipper on your coat, jeans, or dress instead of snaps or buttons. Suitcases and sleeping bags are usually closed with zippers too. The zipper was invented in 1917, but it was initially called a "zip." At the time, a zipper was a particular type of boot that zipped closed.

Example Sentences

One of these proteins is dual leucine zipper kinase, or DLK, which acts as a sensor for neuronal damage and becomes active when metabolism is disrupted.

From Science Daily • Jan. 27, 2026

Among the new nonnegotiables: fleece vests instead of jackets and elastic waistbands instead of “hard pants,” i.e., anything with a zipper.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025

Williams rode shotgun, his bug hooked onto the zipper of his backpack.

From Salon • Jan. 7, 2025

“I got so little playing time at Oregon,” he joked, “the zipper on my warm-up jacket rusted shut.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 11, 2024

Part of it was practical: without a phone or even the internet, there weren’t many options outside a dusty zipper case of CDs his mom had from high school.

From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss

Related Words

• connection
• link