Clips

Clips are small fasteners or devices used to hold objects together. The term covers several forms, including paper clips, binder clips, and clothing or hair clips. Paper clips and binder clips typically secure sheets of paper or documents; hair clips hold hair in place and can serve decorative purposes. Clips can be made of metal or plastic and vary in size and design depending on their intended use.

In media and entertainment, a clip is a short excerpt from a longer work, such as a video or audio recording. Video clips range from a few seconds to several minutes and are widely shared on the internet and in broadcasts. Audio clips may capture a brief sound or melody. Clip art refers to simplified graphic illustrations used in documents and presentations.

Beyond physical objects, clipping appears in media editing and signal processing. In editing, a clip is a selectable segment from a longer work. In signal processing and image or audio editing, clipping refers to distortion that occurs when a value exceeds the maximum representable level, truncating the peaks of a signal. In computing, clipboard tools use the term clip as a command to copy content to a clipboard.