Phrase guide

Clipper chip

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A microchip promoted by the US government in the mid-1990s as an encryption device to be used by all telecommunications companies, and having a back door to allow decryption by the government.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Clipper, of unknown origin, + chip.