ENGLISH
REFERENCE

clip

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˈkɫɪp// UK //klˈɪp// clip Archaic Dialect General-service Informal Slang

n. a short part of a movie, video, or radio show. You can also use this word for a small metal or plastic object that holds things together.

n. a short sequence or segment taken from a film, broadcast, or video recording; alternatively, a device used to fasten or hold objects in place.


SIMPLE

She showed me a funny clip from the movie.

CONTEXTUAL

The news program played a short clip of the prime minister's speech during the evening broadcast.

COMPLEX

While the documentary relied heavily on archival footage, each carefully selected clip served to illustrate the stark contrast between public policy and private reality during that era.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle English clippen, cleppen, clüppen, from Old English clyppan (“to hug, embrace, cherish, clasp”), from Proto-Germanic klumpijaną, from Proto-Indo-European glemb-, *glembʰ- (“lump, clump, clod, clamp”). Cognate with Old Frisian kleppa, klippa (“to hug, embrace”), Middle High German klimpen, klimpfen (“to contract tightly, constrict, squeeze”).

Etymology 2

From Middle English clippen, from Old Norse klippa (“to clip, cut the hair, shear sheep”). Cognate with Icelandic klippa (“to clip”), Swedish klippa (“to clip”), Danish klippe (“to clip”), Norwegian Bokmål klippe (“to clip”).

Usage

Commonly used in digital contexts to refer to short-form video content.

Idioms4 entries

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