whiz kid

noun

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

Examples of whiz kid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web That vision started with the assembly lines, moved through the notion of whiz kids and the logistical skills that won World War II, and toward the rise of conglomerates where few superior generalists and financial engineers could manage anything. John Rau, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023 Prepare spelling whiz kids to better handle stress? USA TODAY, 1 June 2023 Advertisement Theater Dallas-Fort Worth children’s theater organizations accommodate all levels of ability, from preschool players to Broadway-worthy whiz kids. Emerson Greenlee, Dallas News, 21 May 2023 The situation has changed dramatically from 20 years ago, when calculus (and certainly AP calculus) was seen as the route only for all-around whiz kids or ones who were STEM-oriented. Nicole Laporte, Town & Country, 2 May 2023 Schoen, the 42-year-old whiz kid who was the Robin to Bills general manager Brandon Beane’s Batman in Buffalo, has done some evaluation on what Jones, the sixth overall pick in the 2019 draft, and a player who thus far is tethering on being a first-round bust. Patricia Traina, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2022 Decades later, Sunja’s grandson, New York finance whiz kid Solomon (Jin Ha), is frustrated by his lack of advancement, but sees an opportunity to return to Japan to execute a key land deal involving a hotel stalled by a Korean landowner who refuses to sell. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Mar. 2022 But team spirit remained high throughout the year, even during the five-game losing streak, and players seemed to like McDaniel, the diminutive, wise-cracking offensive whiz kid who believes strongly in positive reinforcement as opposed to yelling and cursing at players. Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 18 Jan. 2023 This Texas whiz kid, Rahul Nagvekar, beat a prodigy from Wisconsin, Vansh Jain. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 26 May 2012

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'whiz kid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 28 Mar. 2024.

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