zip by
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To move past or proceed very quickly: "zip by" describes the action of something or someone passing a point with great speed, often so fast that it seems brief or barely noticeable.
Usage
- This phrasal verb is typically used to describe the rapid movement of vehicles, people, or time. It is intransitive and often followed by an adverb or prepositional phrase indicating location.
- It is used in informal and conversational contexts.
Examples
- Verb:
- The race cars zipped by the finish line in a blur of color.
- Don't blink, or you'll miss it; the train will zip by in a second.
- The summer months just seem to zip by every year.
Advanced Usage
- "to zip by" (figurative): used to describe time passing very quickly.
- As you get older, the years just zip by.
- "to zip right by": an intensified form emphasizing the speed and directness of the movement.
- The motorcycle zipped right by us without slowing down.
Variants and Related Words
- Zip (verb): to move, act, or proceed swiftly or energetically.
- She zipped through her homework.
- Whiz by (phrasal verb): a near-synonymous phrasal verb meaning to move past very quickly, often with a humming or buzzing sound.
- The bullet whizzed by his ear.
Synonyms
- Fly by: to pass by swiftly.
- Whiz by: to pass by very quickly, often with a sound.
- Speed past: to go past at high speed.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Zoom by: to move by very quickly, similar to "zip by," sometimes implying a louder sound.
- The sports car zoomed by the slower traffic.
- Rush by: to move past hastily.
- People rushed by, too busy to stop and talk.
Related Idioms
- Time flies: an idiom expressing that time passes very quickly. This is a conceptual synonym for the figurative use of "zip by."
- I can't believe it's December already; time flies!
Verb
- move by very quickly