zoom

1 of 3

verb (1)

zoomed; zooming; zooms

intransitive verb

1
a
: to move with a loud low hum or buzz
b
: to go speedily : zip
cars zooming by on the highway
2
of an airplane : to climb for a short time at an angle greater than that which can be maintained in steady flight so that the machine is carried upward at the expense of stored kinetic energy
3
a
: to focus a camera or microscope on an object using a zoom lens so that the object's apparent distance from the observer changes
often used with in or out
b
: focus, zero
used with in
trying to zoom in on the cause of these problems
4
: to increase sharply
retail sales zoomed

transitive verb

: to cause to zoom

zoom

2 of 3

noun

1
a
: an act or process of zooming
especially : a sharp upward movement
b
: an image created by zooming
2
: a zooming sound
3
: a means of producing an enlarged image (as in a camera)
specifically : zoom lens

Zoom

3 of 3

verb (2)

Zoomed; Zooming; Zooms

intransitive verb

: to use the Zoom service to hold or participate in online meetings with enabled video support
… last week I Zoomed with friends in Ireland that I hadn't talked to in years …Megan Schuster and Michael Surrey
In the other room, while I was slacking off, my wife would be Zooming with her coworkers …Andrew Hamm
There's little doubt students who spend their summer Zooming with state legislators, journalists and commissioners are going to be future leaders.Joyce M. Davis

Examples of zoom in a Sentence

Verb (1) They got in the car and zoomed away. The group of bicycle racers zoomed past. After her first successful cases she zoomed to the top of her profession. Housing sales have zoomed in recent months. Noun The camera was equipped with a zoom. The truck went by with a zoom.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
If a near-Earth asteroid comes hurtling right toward us, scientists will know to zoom into it, immediately, with other observatories. Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 2 Dec. 2024 Listen to this article Loading your audio article Vernon Stewart leapt out of his white pickup truck as cars zoomed to his left at over 70 mph on State Road 429. Natalia Jaramillo, Orlando Sentinel, 30 Nov. 2024
Noun
The 18- to 50-mm (f/1.8 to f/4) equivalent zoom lens is sharp and wide, and the Multi-Face Recognition mode is extremely clever and effective. Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 30 Nov. 2024 Happiness never comes because your mind operates like the zoom lens of a camera that clouds out and distorts the bigger, wide-angle lens. Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for zoom 

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

imitative

Verb (2)

verbal derivative of Zoom trademarked name of a software program for teleconferencing

First Known Use

Verb (1)

1886, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

1917, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (2)

2014, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of zoom was in 1886

Dictionary Entries Near zoom

Cite this Entry

“Zoom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zoom. Accessed 13 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

zoom

1 of 3 verb
1
: to speed along with a loud low hum or buzz
cars zooming down the highway
2
: to gain altitude quickly
the rocket zoomed into the sky

zoom

2 of 3 noun
1
: an act or process of zooming
2
: a zooming sound

Zoom

3 of 3 verb
: to use the Zoom service to hold or participate in online meetings with enabled video support

More from Merriam-Webster on zoom

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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