whiz kid

noun

variants or less commonly whizz kid
: a person who is unusually intelligent, clever, or successful especially at an early age

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web This Texas whiz kid, Rahul Nagvekar, beat a prodigy from Wisconsin, Vansh Jain. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 26 May 2012 Season 8: Richard Blais Season 8 of Top Chef was the first all-stars edition, bringing together seven seasons' worth of fan favorites and runners-up who all fell to whiz kid Richard Blais. Kate Hogan, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2023 Hacking went Hollywood in the 1983 movie WarGames, about a whiz kid who breaks into a Defense Department computer and, at one point, hijacks a pay phone by hot-wiring it with a soda can pull-ring. Rebecca Coffey, Discover Magazine, 19 May 2010 On the song, six-string whiz kid Nuno Bettencourt restrained himself with simpler guitar riffs (but still shredded ecstatically on the solo), while frontman Gary Cherone adopted a Scott Weiland–esque howl to match his freshly shorn haircut. Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2021 Texas whiz kid beats teens in 2012 National Geographic Bee. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 26 May 2012 San Francisco whiz kid coach Kyle Shanahan did a deep dive on Brady. Christopher L. Gasper, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Dec. 2022 The whiz kid at the center of the FTX collapse has been a big-time Democratic donor. John Fund, National Review, 21 Nov. 2022 Bankman-Fried is the wild-haired 30-year-old Silicon Valley whiz kid seen as a savior by the financial news establishment, a generous bundler for the Democrats and a deep-pocketed partner to celebrities like Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen. Matt Donnelly, Variety, 15 Nov. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'whiz kid.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

whiz entry 3

First Known Use

circa 1942, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of whiz kid was circa 1942

Dictionary Entries Near whiz kid

Cite this Entry

“Whiz kid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whiz%20kid. Accessed 25 Mar. 2023.

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