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zippo

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zippo¹

  • /ˈzɪpəʊ/ UK
  • /ˈzɪpoʊ/ US

Rhymes with -ɪpəʊ

adjective

  1. not comparable, slang Zero; none whatsoever. “The whole situation is magnificent news, especially when the problem has been zippo investment by large corporations in Africa,” says Robert H. Bates[…].

noun

  1. emphatic, informal, not comparable Zero. Typically used for emphasis, as when the listener might expect a positive quantity. We got 200 consoles and we sold 200 consoles and 200 minus 200 is ZIPPO, so I can't sell you anything right now.

zippo²

  • /ˈzɪpəʊ/ UK
  • /ˈzɪpoʊ/ US

Rhymes with -ɪpəʊ

Where it comes from

Popular slang among American soldiers in the Vietnam War; from the Zippo brand of lighter.

verb zippos · zippoing · zippoed · Zippo

  1. slang, transitive To light on fire. I didn't want to burn 'em out, but that's policy. So we zippoed their hooch.

Zippo³

Where it comes from

Trade name for lighters, established in the 1930s.

noun Zippos

  1. A reusable lighter. He was about to make the farewell flick of the wheel on his faithful Zippo, which had seen him through the Normany hedgerows, the Ardennes, Germany, and postwar America, when he heard a key in the front door, and voices.
  2. slang A boat, tank, etc. equipped with flamethrowers.

verb Zippos · Zippoing · Zippoed

  1. alternative Alternative spelling of zippo

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Cite this
MLA

"zippo." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/zippo. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

zippo. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/zippo

Chicago

"zippo." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/zippo.

BibTeX
@misc{zippo_2026,
  title = {zippo},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/zippo},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}