Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • A trademark for a fastening tape consisting of a strip of nylon with a surface of minute hooks that fasten to a corresponding strip with a surface of uncut pile.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun A fastener consisting of two strips of fabric, one covered with minute fiber hooks and the other of tiny fiber loops, which when brought together stick strongly one to the other.
  • verb To fasten tightly with Velcro.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb fasten with Velcro
  • noun nylon fabric used as a fastening

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French velours ("velvet") and crochet ("hook")

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Examples

  • "We took some old pairs of underwear and cut the bottom and side seams and put in Velcro," Jared explained.

    Kids Invent Wedgie-Proof Underwear | Impact Lab 2007

  • Since Velcro is used on all the straps, getting a consistent fit is problematic for me.

    Flights of electrons sing me to my sleep... edgreen86 2006

  • "Quite often in mainstream schools, classroom assistants and teachers can do too much for a child – known as the Velcro effect – when in reality it might be better to stand back and observe from a distance and support the child in a different way."

    Outstanding team: 'they will influence policy' June Caldwell 2010

  • I was reflecting on the envelope window as Nevermann told me the inventions he wished he had thought of, the simple breakthroughs: the snap-on lid of the Tupperware container, the notion of Velcro, the science behind Gore-Tex and Teflon.

    Beard 2010

  • But you're right, no one will ever call Velcro anything but Velcro.

    genericized brand names: use a tissue, not a kleenex 2009

  • Keeping up a lively and informative dialogue, Mr. Grenald points out so-called Velcro plants (after their ability to stick to passers-by) and bullet ants; tracks red-eyed tree frogs; and calls out to the howler monkeys that scramble in the trees overhead.

    post-gazette.com - News 2010

  • Keeping up a lively and informative dialogue, Mr. Grenald points out so-called Velcro plants (after their ability to stick to passers-by) and bullet ants; tracks red-eyed tree frogs; and calls out to the howler monkeys that scramble in the trees overhead.

    post-gazette.com - News 2010

  • Bees Hold Onto Flowers: 'Velcro'-Like Structures On Flower Petals Help Bees Stick

    Nature's gift for gardening may hold key to biodiversity 2010

  • Keeping up a lively and informative dialogue, Mr. Grenald points out so-called Velcro plants (after their ability to stick to passers-by) and bullet ants; tracks red-eyed tree frogs; and calls out to the howler monkeys that scramble in the trees overhead.

    post-gazette.com - News 2010

  • Keeping up a lively and informative dialogue, Mr. Grenald points out so-called Velcro plants (after their ability to stick to passers-by) and bullet ants; tracks red-eyed tree frogs; and calls out to the howler monkeys that scramble in the trees overhead.

    post-gazette.com - News 2010

Comments

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  • It's a clipped compound!!

    January 21, 2022

  • @tankhughes. Love learning new terms.

    January 22, 2022