Buzz

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buzz¹

  • /bʌz/
  • /bʊz/ Northern England

Rhymes with -ʌz

Where it comes from

From Middle English *bussen (suggested by Middle English bussyng (“buzzing”)), of onomatopoeic origin. Cognate with Scots bizz (“to buzz”). Compare Middle English bunning (“buzzing”), Middle English hossing (“buzzing”), Middle English bissen (“to hush”).

noun buzzes

  1. countable, uncountable A continuous humming noise, as of bees; a confused murmur, as of general conversation in low tones. Immediately there was a ringing and a singing in the hills, and then a whispering and a lisping and a whiz and a buzz all about him, for the little people were now some whirling round and round in the dance, and others sporting and tumbling about in the moonshine, and playing a thousand merry pranks
  2. countable, uncountable A whisper.
  3. countable, uncountable The audible friction of voiced consonants.
  4. countable, informal, uncountable A rush or feeling of energy or excitement; a feeling of slight intoxication. Still feeling the buzz from the coffee, he pushed through the last of the homework.
  5. countable, informal, uncountable A telephone call or e-mail. Now, don't waste time, give us a buzz -- quick! 825-4703 or 265-7881.
  6. countable, informal, uncountable Major topic of conversation; widespread rumor; information spread behind the scenes. Mr. Hall? The buzz on Christian is that his parents have joint custody, so he'll be spending one semester in Chicago and one semester here.
  7. uncountable Synonym of fizz-buzz (“counting game”).

verb buzzes · buzzing · buzzed

  1. intransitive To make a low, continuous, humming or sibilant sound, like that made by bees with their wings. Ah! the singing, fatal arrow, / Like a wasp it buzzed, and stung him [a roebuck]!
  2. broadly, intransitive To utter a murmuring sound; to speak with a low, humming voice. However these disturbers of our peace / Buzz in the people's ears.
  3. intransitive Of a group of people, to talk about some interesting topic excitedly. But I tell you this has set all London buzzing. The old man is where he likes to be, with a pin-point limelight right on his hairy old head.
  4. intransitive To fly while making such a sound. A fly was buzzing past me.
  5. colloquial To show a high level of activity and haste, energization or excitement, to be busy as a bee in one’s actions but perhaps mentally charged. The room was buzzing with excitement.
  6. transitive To whisper; to communicate, as tales, in an undertone; to spread, as a report, by whispers or secretly. I will buzz abroad such prophecies / That Edward shall be fearful of his life.
  7. transitive To talk to incessantly or confidentially in a low humming voice.
  8. also, figuratively, transitive To fly at high speed and at a very low altitude over (an area), as to make a surprise pass. buzzing around in small cars that dodged through traffic
  9. transitive To cut (the hair) in a close-cropped military style, or buzzcut. Deacon said, “You used to beg me to let you buzz your hair when you were little.” “And then I grew up and realized how awful you looked when you buzzed yours.”
  10. transitive To throw swiftly. I have mentioned her deft hand with a stone — well, as soon as our backs were turned she buzzed a stone to clip Joe's ear.
  11. archaic, transitive To drink to the bottom. He buzzed the bottle with such a hearty good will as settled the fate of another, which Soapey rang for as a matter of course. There was but the rejected one, which however Spigot put into a different decanter and brought in […]
  12. transitive To communicate with (a person) by means of a buzzer. Then one day my secretary buzzed me and said Frank Sinatra was on the phone. When I picked up the phone it was the Chief who played dumb and would not admit that he said he was Frank Sinatra.

Buzz²

proper noun

  1. A male given name, pet form of Busby

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