Clip vs. Magazine — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on October 12, 2023
"Clip" often refers to a device for holding cartridges for easy loading, while "Magazine" is a container that feeds ammunition to a firearm.
Difference Between Clip and Magazine
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
"Clip" and "Magazine" are both related to firearms, but they serve different functions. A "Clip" is often a simple device that holds multiple rounds of ammunition together in a sequence for easy and quick loading into a firearm's chamber. On the other hand, a "Magazine" is a container for storing and feeding ammunition automatically to a firearm.
While many people use these terms interchangeably, it's essential to note that they are distinct in the world of firearms. A "Clip" typically doesn't have a spring mechanism to feed the bullets, whereas a "Magazine" does. It's quite common for people, even in movies or media, to mistakenly refer to a magazine as a clip. However, for those well-versed in firearms, understanding the distinction between "Clip" and "Magazine" is fundamental.
Comparison Chart
Function
Holds cartridges for loading
Stores and feeds ammunition to a firearm
Mechanism
Typically lacks spring mechanism
Contains a spring mechanism
Appearance
Usually slender and open
Often boxy, enclosed
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Usage in Media
Frequently misused to mean magazine
Correct term for ammunition storage in guns
Associated Firearms
Common with older rifles (e.g., M1 Garand)
Used in most modern semi-automatic firearms
Compare with Definitions
Clip
To trim or cut off.
He decided to clip his beard.
Magazine
A container feeding ammunition to a firearm.
The soldier replaced the empty magazine.
Clip
A flexible or spring-loaded device for holding an object or objects together or in place
He undid two clips and lifted the lid
A gilt clip fastened her hair
Magazine
A chamber in a gun for holding a number of cartridges to be fed automatically to the breech.
The pistol has a 15-round magazine.
Clip
A metal holder containing cartridges for an automatic firearm
He shot twice, but his clip was empty
Magazine
A regular television or radio program comprising a variety of topical news or entertainment items.
He appeared on a popular morning magazine show.
Clip
An act of clipping or trimming something
I gave him a full clip
Magazine
A magazine is a periodical publication which is printed in gloss-coated and matte paper. Magazines are generally published on a regular schedule and contain a variety of content.
Clip
A short sequence taken from a film or broadcast
Clips from earlier shows
A film clip
Magazine
A periodical publication containing articles and illustrations, often on a particular subject or aimed at a particular readership
A women's weekly magazine
Clip
A smart or glancing blow
I'd give him a clip round the ear
Magazine
A container or detachable receptacle for holding a supply of cartridges to be fed automatically to the breech of a gun
He took the machine gun and a spare magazine
Clip
A specified speed or rate of movement, especially when rapid
We crossed the dance floor at an amazingly fast clip
Magazine
A store for arms, ammunition, and explosives for military use.
Clip
Fasten or be fastened with a clip or clips
She clipped on a pair of diamond earrings
The panels simply clip on to the framework
Magazine
A periodical containing a collection of articles, stories, pictures, or other features.
Clip
Cut short or trim (hair, vegetation, etc.) with shears or scissors
I was clipping the hedge
Magazine
A television program that presents a variety of topics, usually on current events, in a format that often includes interviews and commentary.
Clip
Strike smartly or with a glancing blow
The car clipped the kerb
He'll clip your ear
Magazine
A place where goods are stored, especially a building in a fort or a storeroom on a warship where ammunition is kept.
Clip
Swindle or rob
In all the years he ran the place, he was clipped only three times
Magazine
The contents of a storehouse, especially a stock of ammunition.
Clip
Move quickly
We clip down the track
Magazine
A compartment in some types of firearms, often a small detachable box, in which cartridges are held to be fed into the firing chamber.
Clip
To cut, cut off, or cut out with or as if with shears
Clip coupons.
Clipped three seconds off the record.
Magazine
A compartment in a camera in which rolls or cartridges of film are held for feeding through the exposure mechanism.
Clip
To make shorter by cutting; trim
Clip a hedge.
Magazine
Any of various compartments attached to machines, used for storing or supplying necessary material.
Clip
To cut off the edge of
Clip a coin.
Magazine
Of or relating to periodicals
A magazine story.
Clip
To cut short; curtail.
Magazine
A non-academic periodical publication, generally consisting of sheets of paper folded in half and stapled at the fold.
Clip
To shorten (a word or words) by leaving out letters or syllables.
Magazine
(military) An ammunition storehouse.
Clip
To enunciate with clarity and precision
Clip one's words.
Magazine
(nautical) The portion of a warship where munitions are stored.
The cruiser blew up when a shell hit its magazine.
Clip
(Informal) To hit with a sharp blow
Clipped me under the eye.
Magazine
A chamber in or attachable to a firearm enabling multiple rounds of ammunition to be fed into the firearm.
Clip
(Football) To block (an opponent) illegally from the rear.
Magazine
A reservoir or supply chamber for a stove, battery, camera, typesetting machine, or other apparatus.
Clip
(Sports) To hit or kick (the ball) in a certain direction.
Magazine
(archaic) A country or district especially rich in natural products.
Clip
(Slang) To cheat, swindle, or rob.
Magazine
(archaic) A city viewed as a marketing center.
Clip
To cut something.
Magazine
(archaic) A store, or shop, where goods are kept for sale.
Clip
(Informal) To move rapidly.
Magazine
A collection of Teletext pages.
Clip
To fasten with or as if with a clip; hold tightly.
Magazine
A receptacle in which anything is stored, especially military stores, as ammunition, arms, provisions, etc.
Clip
(Archaic) To embrace or encompass.
Magazine
The building or room in which the supply of powder is kept in a fortification or a ship.
Clip
The act of clipping.
Magazine
A chamber in a gun for holding a number of cartridges to be fed automatically to the piece.
Clip
The wool shorn at one shearing, as of sheep.
Magazine
A pamphlet published periodically containing miscellaneous papers or compositions.
Clip
A season's shearing.
Magazine
A country or district especially rich in natural products.
Clip
A short extract from a movie or television program.
Magazine
A city viewed as a marketing center.
Clip
(Informal) A quick sharp blow
A clip on the ear.
Magazine
A reservoir or supply chamber for a stove, battery, camera, typesetting machine, or other apparatus.
Clip
(Football) An illegal block from the rear.
Magazine
A store, or shop, where goods are kept for sale.
Clip
(Informal) A pace or rate
Go at a fast clip.
Magazine
To store in, or as in, a magazine; to store up for use.
Clip
A single occasion; a time
Could write nine pages at a clip.
Magazine
A periodic paperback publication;
It takes several years before a magazine starts to break even or make money
Clip
Clips A pair of shears or clippers.
Magazine
Product consisting of a paperback periodic publication as a physical object;
Tripped over a pile of magazines
Clip
Any of various devices for gripping or holding things together; a clasp or fastener.
Magazine
A business firm that publishes magazines;
He works for a magazine
Clip
A piece of jewelry that fastens with a clasp or clip, such as an earring or a brooch.
Magazine
A light-tight supply chamber holding the film and supplying it for exposure as required
Clip
A cartridge clip.
Magazine
A storehouse (as a compartment on a warship) where weapons and ammunition are stored
Clip
To grip tightly.
Magazine
A metal frame or container holding cartridges; can be inserted into an automatic gun
Clip
To fasten with a clip.
Please clip the photos to the pages where they will go.
Magazine
A publication containing articles and stories.
She bought a fashion magazine.
Clip
(archaic) To hug, embrace.
Magazine
A storehouse or place for storage.
The military magazine stored arms and ammunition.
Clip
(slang) To collect signatures, generally with the use of a clipboard.
Clip
To cut, especially with scissors or shears as opposed to a knife etc.
She clipped my hair with her scissors.
Please clip that coupon out of the newspaper.
Clip
To curtail; to cut short.
Clip
To strike with the hand.
I’ll clip ye round the lugs!
Clip
To hit or strike, especially in passing.
The car skidded off the road and clipped a lamppost.
Clip
(American football) To perform an illegal tackle, throwing the body across the back of an opponent's leg or hitting him from the back below the waist while moving up from behind unless the opponent is a runner or the action is in close line play.
Clip
(signal processing) To cut off a signal level at a certain maximum value.
Clip
(computer graphics) To discard (an occluded part of a model or scene) rather than waste resources on rendering it.
Clip
To move (through or into) (a rendered object or barrier).
The camera keeps clipping that ceiling.
Clipping through walls is integral to the game's speedruns.
Oh, no, I clipped my avatar through the barrier!
Clip
To cheat, swindle, or fleece.
Clip
To grab or take stealthily
Clip
Something which clips or grasps; a device for attaching one object to another.
Use this clip to attach the check to your tax form.
Clip
An unspecified, but normally understood as rapid, speed or pace.
She reads at a pretty good clip.
He was walking at a fair clip and I was out of breath trying to keep up.
Clip
(obsolete) An embrace.
Clip
(military) A frame containing a number of rounds of ammunition which is intended to be inserted into an internal magazine of a firearm to allow for rapid reloading.
Clip
A removable magazine of a firearm.
Clip
A projecting flange on the upper edge of a horseshoe, turned up so as to embrace the lower part of the hoof; a toe clip or beak.
Clip
A gaff or hook for landing the fish, as in salmon fishing.
Clip
Something which has been clipped from a larger whole:
Clip
The product of a single shearing of sheep.
Clip
A season's crop of wool.
Clip
A section of video taken from a film, broadcast, or other longer video
The morning news today played a clip of last night's debate.
The 100th episode of Seinfeld consisted of clips from previous episodes.
Clip
A newspaper clipping.
Clip
An act of clipping, such as a haircut.
I went into the salon to get a clip.
Clip
The condition of something, its state.
Deeky the clip of that aad wife ower thor!
Clip
(informal) A blow with the hand (often in the set phrase clip round the ear)
Give him a clip round the ear!
Clip
To embrace, hence; to encompass.
O . . . that Neptune's arms, who clippeth thee about,Would bear thee from the knowledge of thyself.
Clip
To cut off; as with shears or scissors; as, to clip the hair; to clip coin.
Sentenced to have his ears clipped.
Clip
To curtail; to cut short.
All my reports go with the modest truth;No more nor clipped, but so.
In London they clip their words after one manner about the court, another in the city, and a third in the suburbs.
Clip
To move swiftly; - usually with indefinite it.
Straight flies as chek, and clips it down the wind.
Clip
An embrace.
Clip
A cutting; a shearing.
Clip
The product of a single shearing of sheep; a season's crop of wool.
Clip
A clasp or holder for letters, papers, etc.
Clip
An embracing strap for holding parts together; the iron strap, with loop, at the ends of a whiffletree.
Clip
A projecting flange on the upper edge of a horseshoe, turned up so as to embrace the lower part of the hoof; - called also toe clip and beak.
Clip
A blow or stroke with the hand; as, he hit him a clip.
Clip
A part, attachment, or appendage, for seizing, clasping, or holding, an object, as a cable, etc.
Clip
A gaff or hook for landing the fish, as in salmon fishing.
Clip
A rapid gait.
Clip
A metal frame or container holding cartridges; can be inserted into an automatic gun
Clip
An instance or single occasion for some event;
This time he succeeded
He called four times
He could do ten at a clip
Clip
Any of various small fasteners used to hold loose articles together
Clip
An article of jewelry that can be clipped onto a hat or dress
Clip
The act of clipping or snipping
Clip
A sharp slanting blow;
He gave me a clip on the ear
Clip
Sever or remove by pinching or snipping;
Nip off the flowers
Clip
Run at a moderately swift pace
Clip
Attach with a clip;
Clip the papers together
Clip
Cultivate, tend, and cut back the growth of;
Dress the plants in the garden
Clip
Terminate or abbreviate before its intended or proper end or its full extent;
My speech was cut short
Personal freedom is curtailed in many countries
Clip
A device that holds cartridges for easy loading.
He quickly loaded his rifle with a clip.
Clip
A short segment of audio or video.
Did you watch the clip from last night's show?
Clip
A fastener for holding things together.
She secured her papers with a clip.
Clip
A brisk pace or speed.
She was walking at quite a clip.
Common Curiosities
Can a clip be used to describe a video segment?
Yes, "clip" can refer to a short segment of audio or video.
Are magazines only related to guns?
No, a magazine can also be a publication or a place for storage.
Why do people confuse clips with magazines?
Misuse in media and lack of firearm knowledge often lead to the terms being used interchangeably.
Can you clip articles from a magazine?
Yes, to "clip" can mean to cut out, so you can clip articles from a magazine.
What's another word for a fashion magazine?
"Periodical" or "publication" can be used, but context matters.
Can a magazine refer to a TV program?
Yes, it can refer to a program comprising a variety of topical news or entertainment items.
Are there guns that use both clips and magazines?
Yes, some firearms use clips to load ammunition into magazines.
Is a clip the same as a magazine in firearms?
No, a clip holds cartridges for loading, while a magazine stores and feeds ammunition to a firearm.
Are clips used in modern firearms?
Clips are less common in modern firearms, which mostly use magazines. However, they're still found in some rifle models.
How do I know if my firearm uses a clip or a magazine?
Check the firearm's manual or consult with an expert. If it has a spring mechanism and stores bullets, it's a magazine.
Is the magazine always detachable from a firearm?
No, while many modern firearms have detachable magazines, some have integral, non-removable magazines.
What's the function of the spring in a magazine?
The spring ensures that the ammunition is fed into the firearm as the previous round is fired.
Is every magazine for guns filled with bullets?
No, magazines can be empty, partially filled, or fully loaded.
Do all guns have magazines?
No, only those designed to fire multiple rounds before reloading typically have magazines.
Can a clip refer to speed?
Yes, "clip" can refer to a brisk pace or speed.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
