buzz

English

Etymology

From Middle English *bussen, of onomatopoeic origin. Compare Middle English bunning (“buzzing”), Middle English hossing (“buzzing”), Middle English bissen (“to hush”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: bŭz, IPA^(key): /bʌz/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: buzz
• Rhymes: -ʌz

Noun

buzz (countable and uncountable, plural buzzes)

1. A continuous humming noise, as of bees; a confused murmur, as of general conversation in low tones.
   • 1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, , →OCLC, part I, page 209:

     In the steady buzz of flies the homeward-bound agent was lying flushed and insensible[.]

2. A whisper.
3. The audible friction of voiced consonants.
4. (informal) 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. (informal) A telephone call or e-mail.
   • 1983 April 9, “Clearly Womyn's Space (classified advertisement)”, in Gay Community News, page 15:

     Now, don't waste time, give us a buzz -- quick! 825-4703 or 265-7881.

6. (informal) Major topic of conversation; widespread rumor; information spread behind the scenes.
   • 1995, Amy Heckerling, Clueless, spoken by Cher (Alicia Silverstone):

     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.

   • 2006, Noire , Thug-A-Licious: An Urban Erotic Tale, New York, N.Y.: One World, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, page 103:

     I wasn't performing with Pimp and Smoove that much no more, but I had a solo deal with Ruthless Rap and a brand new mixtape that was creating a big buzz.

   • 2006 September 6, Daren Fonda, “Ford Motor's New Chief: "I Think It's a Tough Situation"”, in Time:

     In Detroit, the buzz is that he's too nice a guy, unwilling to impose draconian job cuts at the risk of angering the UAW.

   • 2011 Allen Gregory, "Pilot" (season 1, episode 1):

     Allen Gregory DeLongpre: Who's he?

     Patrick: He's only the most popular kid in school.

     Allen Gregory: Ah, the two heavyweights finally meet. Sure you're tired of all the buzz. Allen Gregory DeLongpre.

     Joel Zadak: Joel...Zadak!

7. (uncountable) Synonym of fizz-buzz (“counting game”)

Translations

Verb

buzz (third-person singular simple present buzzes, present participle buzzing, simple past and past participle buzzed)

1. (intransitive) To make a low, continuous, humming or sibilant sound, like that made by bees with their wings.
   • 1855 November 10, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “Hiawatha’s Childhood”, in The Song of Hiawatha, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC, page 47:

     Ah! the singing, fatal arrow, / Like a wasp it buzzed, and stung him [a roebuck]!

   • 1922, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, “The Holy Family”, in Fantasia of the Unconscious, New York, N.Y.: Thomas Seltzer, →OCLC, page 14:

     So that now the universe has escaped from the pin which was pushed through it, like an impaled fly vainly buzzing: now that the multiple universe flies its own complicated course quite free, and hasn't got any hub, we can hope also to escape.

   1. (by extension) To utter a murmuring sound; to speak with a low, humming voice.
      • c. 1588–1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

        However these disturbers of our peace / Buzz in the people's ears.

   2. Of a group of people, to talk about some interesting topic excitedly.
      • 1928 February 25 – March 3, Arthur Conan Doyle, “When the World Screamed”, in The Professor Challenger Stories , London: John Murray, , published , →OCLC, page 570:

        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.

   3. (chiefly of an insect) To fly while making such a sound.

      A fly was buzzing past me.

      • 1897, Bram Stoker, chapter XX, in Dracula, New York, N.Y.: Modern Library, →OCLC:

        The flies, lethargic with the autumn, were beginning to buzz into the room.

2. (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.
3. (transitive) To whisper; to communicate, as tales, in an undertone; to spread, as a report, by whispers or secretly.
   • c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     I will buzz abroad such prophecies / That Edward shall be fearful of his life.

4. (transitive) To talk to incessantly or confidentially in a low humming voice.
5. (aviation) To fly at high speed and at a very low altitude over a specified area, as to make a surprise pass.
   • 2013, The Economist, Stopping asteroid strikes: Defenders of the Earth‎:

     […] an asteroid a mere 15-20 metres across exploded with the force of a medium-sized atom bomb over Chelyabinsk, in Russia, and another, much larger one buzzed Earth a few hours later.

6. (transitive) To cut the hair in a close-cropped military style, or buzzcut.
   • 2012, Ellen Hartman, Out of Bounds, page 130:

     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.”

7. (archaic, transitive) To drink to the bottom.
   • 1849, The New Monthly Magazine and Universal Register:

     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 […]

8. (transitive) To communicate with (a person) by means of a buzzer.
   • 2012, Steven Joseph Sinopoli, The Seventh House, page 66:

     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.

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:buzz.

Translations

Derived terms

Further reading

• buzz on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English buzz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bøz/, /byz/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

buzz m (uncountable)

1. buzz (excitement)