hair clip

IPA/ˈheə ˌklɪp/
IPA/ˈher ˌklɪp/

hair clip — noun

1. a small plastic or metal object that grips your hair to hold it in place or keep

1.nounA2
Definition

a small plastic or metal object that grips your hair to hold it in place or keep it back from your face

Example

Jisoo pinned her fringe back with a bright pink hair clip before the photo.

press a hair clip onto / into hair

The little girl wore two butterfly hair clips on each side of her head.

countable: wore two hair clips

Common collocations
  • wear a hair clip
  • a packet of hair clips
  • butterfly hair clip
Synonyms
  • hairpin

    a thin bent wire that slides in; holds less hair than a clip

  • barrette

    American English for a decorative clip worn on the side

  • bobby pin

    American English for a small flat sprung pin

Usage Note

Object is almost always plural in shops (a packet of hair clips) because they come in sets; the singular names one piece.

Common Mistakes

She closed her hair with a clip.
She clipped back her hair with a hair clip.
you fasten or clip hair back, you do not 'close' it.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All of these hold hair, but they grip it differently. A hair clip has a hinged part that springs shut, so it presses onto a thick section of hair and is easy to open with one hand. A hairpin is a thin wire bent into a U-shape that you simply slide in; it holds less and slips out more easily. In American English, a barrette is usually a wider, decorative clip worn on the side of the head, while a bobby pin is a small flat pin with a tight bend that keeps short pieces flat against the head. So you might reach for a hair clip to gather a ponytail quickly, but choose a bobby pin to tuck a single loose strand neatly behind your ear.

hair clip ↗hairpin ↗barrette ↗bobby pin

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

A transparent compound of 'hair' (the threads growing on the head, from Old English hǣr) and 'clip' (something that grips, from Old English clyppan meaning to hold or embrace). The word simply names a small gripping object for the hair, and came into common use as mass-produced hair accessories spread in the twentieth century.