ZIP
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Zone Improvement Plan |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Geography & Places, Technology & Computing |
ZIP has two meanings. It stands for Zone Improvement Plan (address) or ZIP archive (file format).
Meanings of ZIP at a glance
| # | ZIP stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zone Improvement Plan | Geography & Places › Address |
| 2 | ZIP archive | Technology & Computing › File Format |
1. Zone Improvement Plan
Geography & Places · Address Abbreviations · also used in general use
US postal code system introduced by the Post Office Department on July 1, 1963. The first digit identifies a group of states, from 0 in the Northeast to 9 on the West Coast, and the first three digits together point to a sectional center facility.
Example: Enter your ZIP to see delivery times in your area.
ZIP is an acronym, so it is often capitalized, as in ZIP Code; zip code in lowercase is common too. The cartoon mascot Mr. ZIP promoted the system in the 1960s. ZIP codes describe delivery routes rather than areas, so some, such as those for large organizations, have no geographic boundary.
2. ZIP archive
Technology & Computing · File Format Abbreviations
Archive format that compresses one or more files and folders into a single file, supported natively by Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. It is the everyday way to bundle files for email and download.
Example: Put all the photos in a ZIP so the email has just one attachment.
Phil Katz of PKWARE created the format in 1989 for his PKZIP program, and it most commonly uses DEFLATE compression. Windows has opened ZIP files natively as "compressed folders" since the late 1990s. Many other formats are ZIP files in disguise, including DOCX, XLSX, EPUB, JAR and APK. ZIP64 extensions remove the original 4 GB limits. "Zip bombs" are tiny archives that expand to enormous sizes.
Related abbreviations
More address abbreviations
- Aly – Alley
- Anx – Annex
- Apdo. – Apartado de correos (post office box)
- Apt – Apartment
- Arc – Arcade
- Attn – Attention
- Ave – Avenue
- BFPO – British Forces Post Office
See all 118 address abbreviations →