Meaning & use
zip tie
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A thin plastic strap with a locking head that tightens as you pull it through, used to bundle cables or hold things together.
Grammar: Countable: a zip tie, a pack of zip ties.
Patterns
- zip tie around something
- zip tie to something
He bundled the loose cables together with a zip tie.
The gate was held shut with a single zip tie.
Buy a pack of zip ties for the garden fence.
verbtransitiveinformal
To fasten or bind something with a zip tie.
Grammar: Takes an object: she zip tied the hoses together; sometimes written zip-tied.
Patterns
- zip tie something to something
- zip tie something together
She zip tied the sign to the fence post.
The police zip tied the suspect's hands behind his back.
We zip tied the tarp to the poles before the storm.
Word forms
| plural | zip ties |
|---|---|
| third person singular | zip ties |
| past tense | zip tied |
| -ing form | zip tying |
Common combinations
- cut a zip tie
- You'll need scissors to cut a zip tie.
- pull a zip tie tight
- Pull the zip tie tight and trim the end.
- plastic zip tie
- A plastic zip tie held the pipe in place.
- secure with a zip tie
- Secure the cable with a zip tie.
- heavy-duty zip tie
- Use a heavy-duty zip tie for the thick hose.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cable tie
- Cable tie is the standard technical and British name, while zip tie is the common American everyday name.
- tie wrap
- Tie wrap is a brand-like industrial term, less familiar to shoppers than zip tie.
- twist tie
- A twist tie is a thin wire covered in paper or plastic, used for bags, and it can be reused, unlike a zip tie.
- strap
- Strap is a general word for a flexible band, but a zip tie locks in one direction.
Word family
Commonly confused: zip tie or zip? zip tie or twist tie?
zip tie vs zip
A zip is a fastener on clothes and bags, whereas a zip tie is a plastic strap for bundling things.
zip tie vs twist tie
A twist tie is made of wire and is loose enough to reuse; a zip tie locks and usually must be cut.
Practice
To keep the garden hose from hanging loose, Sam wrapped it around the pole and fastened it with a ___.
Choose one answer.
A zip tie is a locking plastic strap used to fasten and bundle things. The other items are real objects but cannot hold a hose to a pole.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “zip tie”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.