buzz saw
noun
plural buzz saws
1
: a power saw with a circular cutting blade : circular saw
2
: someone or something that presents overwhelming opposition
The Buckeyes have been a buzz saw …, winning by an average of 47.7 points in a 4-0 start.—
Tom Dienhart
—usually used in the phrase run/walk into a buzz sawTom Dienhart… the organizers ran into a buzz saw of complaints about many of its proposed venues, which had not been vetted with some of the landlords or the public.—Katharine Q. Seelye
Katharine Q. SeelyeThey ran into a buzz saw Saturday night against … Kentucky, a loss that likely means a new No. 1 on Monday.—John Marshall
John MarshallNever before has a president asked a Supreme Court nominee to walk into a political buzz saw quite like this.—Susan Davis
Susan Davis
Examples of buzz saw in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Just a classic buzz saw situation for Alabama with OU shooting 64.1%.
—Michael Casagrande | McAsagrande@al.com, al, 28 Jan. 2023
The view from space of the monster storm cutting into the Florida Panhandle coast like a buzz saw is both terrifying and strangely mesmerizing.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 11 Oct. 2018
After two straight losing seasons, Louisiana State was sailing toward a potential playoff berth under first-year coach Brian Kelly until the Tigers ran into a Texas A&M buzz saw last week, losing 38-23.
—John Scheibe, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2022
Storm get second-round buzz saw in Maine South (8-2), which beat Bolingbrook 24-0.
—Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2022
Though a weaker storm than the version that sliced through Florida like a buzz saw, Ian still brought damaging winds and significant storm-surge flooding — a rise in ocean waters over normally dry land — to the Palmetto State.
—Scott Dance, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2022
The Category 4 storm came through like a small buzz saw, crossing the state and exiting near New Smyrna Beach.
—Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2022
Charles has spent hours and hours with BBC, despite having faced the media buzz saw, the worst of the worst tabloids in the 1990s.
—William Booth, Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2022
The family-friendly, controversy-averse Walt Disney Co. has walked into the buzz saw of the American culture wars, version 2022.
—Thomas Doherty, Chron, 10 May 2022
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Michael Casagrande | McAsagrande@al.com, al, 28 Jan. 2023
The view from space of the monster storm cutting into the Florida Panhandle coast like a buzz saw is both terrifying and strangely mesmerizing.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 11 Oct. 2018
After two straight losing seasons, Louisiana State was sailing toward a potential playoff berth under first-year coach Brian Kelly until the Tigers ran into a Texas A&M buzz saw last week, losing 38-23.
—John Scheibe, Los Angeles Times, 1 Dec. 2022
Storm get second-round buzz saw in Maine South (8-2), which beat Bolingbrook 24-0.
—Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2022
Though a weaker storm than the version that sliced through Florida like a buzz saw, Ian still brought damaging winds and significant storm-surge flooding — a rise in ocean waters over normally dry land — to the Palmetto State.
—Scott Dance, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2022
The Category 4 storm came through like a small buzz saw, crossing the state and exiting near New Smyrna Beach.
—Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2022
Charles has spent hours and hours with BBC, despite having faced the media buzz saw, the worst of the worst tabloids in the 1990s.
—William Booth, Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2022
The family-friendly, controversy-averse Walt Disney Co. has walked into the buzz saw of the American culture wars, version 2022.
—Thomas Doherty, Chron, 10 May 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'buzz saw.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1837, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near buzz saw
Cite this Entry
“Buzz saw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buzz%20saw. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
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