1 A2 neutral
To fasten a piece of clothing or a bag by pulling the zipper upward
"Zip up your coat before you go outside — it's really cold today."
separable
zip up
A2 neutral separable transitive/intransitive
To close a zipper by pulling it upward, or to tell someone to stop talking
In plain English
To pull the zip up to close your clothes or a bag, or to tell someone to be quiet
What does "zip up" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 idiomatic informal
To tell someone to stop talking; to be quiet (informal, often rude)
"Would you just zip up for five minutes? I'm trying to concentrate."
inseparable
3 B1 neutral
To compress a computer file or folder into a compressed archive format
"Please zip up all the photos before sending them — the file is too large."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To move the zip fastener upward, closing the opening
Actually means
To pull the zip up to close your clothes or a bag, or to tell someone to be quiet
Usage tip
The clothing sense is universal and very common. The 'be quiet' sense ('zip it up' / 'zip up') is informal and slightly rude. Common in everyday British and American English.
Words that pair with "zip up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
jacket bag tent dress coat boots
How to conjugate "zip up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
zip up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
zips up
he/she/it
Past simple
ziped up
yesterday
Past participle
ziped up
have + pp
-ing form
ziping up
continuous
Hear "zip up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "zip up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "zip up"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
Keep exploring
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