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clip-on

American  
[klip-on, -awn] / ˈklɪpˌɒn, -ˌɔn /

adjective

  1. designed to be clipped on easily, especially by a self-attached clip.

    a clip-on bow tie.

noun

  1. a clip-on device, ornament, or the like.

clip on British  

verb

  1. (tr) to attach by means of a clip

  2. (intr) to be attached by means of a clip

    this clips on here
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. designed to be attached by means of a clip

    a clip-on bow tie
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

plural noun

  1. sunglasses designed to be clipped on to a person's spectacles

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of clip-on

First recorded in 1905–10; adj., noun use of verb phrase clip on

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It was a clip-on MP3 player without a screen for just $49.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

In a recent conversation on LinkedIn by some TV professionals, one poured scorn on young people on TikTok and YouTube for "not knowing" how to use clip-on mics.

From BBC • Sep. 10, 2025

The helmets, provided at cost by Tacoma wholesaler Helmets R Us, are foam padded and aerodynamic, with a clip-on visor.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 21, 2024

She handed me a pair of fuchsia clip-on earrings, large plastic stones glued onto cheap metal clasps.

From Salon • Jan. 1, 2023

She swings her clip-on ponytail and lopes toward me with a wave.

From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.