buzzed; buzzing; buzzes
1
: to make a low continuous humming sound like that of a bee
3
: to make a signal with a buzzer
5
: to feel high especially from a drug
1
: to utter covertly by or as if by whispering
2
: to cause to buzz
3
: to fly fast and close to
planes buzz the crowd
4
: to summon or signal with a buzzer
also
: to let in through an electronically controlled entrance
—used with in or through
buzzed him in
5
dialectal, England
: to drink to the last drop
get some more port whilst I buzz this bottle—
W. M. Thackeray
W. M. Thackeray1
: a persistent vibratory sound
2
a
: a confused murmur
c
: a flurry of activity
e
: speculative or excited talk or attention relating especially to a new or forthcoming product or event
one of the few new shows that's getting good buzz—TV Guide
TV Guide
also
: an instance of such talk or attention
their first CD created a huge buzz
3
: a signal conveyed by buzzer
specifically
: a telephone call
4
slang
: high sense 4
Synonyms
Examples of buzz in a Sentence
Verb
Flies were buzzing around the picnic tables.
The hall buzzed with excitement as the audience waited for the show to start.
My mind is buzzing with ideas.
The nurse buzzed the doctor who was on duty.
She buzzed her secretary to say she was going out for lunch.
Ring the bell when you arrive and someone will buzz you into the building.
Let me buzz you out.
Noun
We heard the buzz of the bees as we walked through the garden.
When the machine is turned on, it makes a quiet buzz.
There was a buzz of voices in the hall as the audience waited for the show to start.
What's the latest buzz about their marriage?
The buzz is that she turned down the job because the pay was too low.
There's been quite a buzz about the new movie.
The team's new players are creating a buzz among baseball fans.
There's been a lot of buzz about the new movie.
Recent Examples on the WebJohn Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Apr. 2024
There are Christmas markets where people meet up with friends, and all the bars are buzzing.
—Lee Marshall, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Apr. 2024
Mosquitos buzz in, emerging from eggs laid in stagnant water across the region.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 6 Apr. 2024
This eclipse seems to have more buzz than eclipses in the past.
—Emmett Lindner, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
But while the setting was ideal, the conditions were not: The temperature reached nearly 100 degrees that day and lots of feisty bees were buzzing around the chefs’ workstations, which were not tented under the blazing sun.
—Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2024
Imagine millions of homes and businesses buzzing with newfound efficiency.
—Jeff Sprau, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The birds are chirping, the bees are buzzing, and your TV watching queue is getting longer.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024
During routine inventories of the plants and animals of a national park in the French Alps, researchers saw a small, buzzing creature peek out from the wood of a dead tree.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2024
Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
Some roll of buzz from the London TV Screenings or Series Mania.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024
Each gummy contains 20mg of broad-spectrum CBD: Enough to give a nice buzz, but low enough not to hit you too hard.
—Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
That’s why patents filed by large device manufacturers, like Samsung, lead to renewed buzz around rollable concepts.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Mar. 2024
The firm was easing up its deal pace in 2022, but generative AI technology had the kind of buzz that exceptions could be made.
—Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
The song has been surging in recent weeks due to buzz generated on TikTok, where it has been used in more than 375,000 clips on the platform to date.
—Xander Zellner, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2024
After a buzz at the door, two armed men entered and attempted to rob Stahl of both marijuana and cash.
—Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 23 Mar. 2024
Fresh off of his best actor win at the 2024 Oscars, Cillian Murphy is already creating buzz for another beloved character.
—Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2024
Verb
Today buzzes like the electric clippers in Kraus's tattooed hand.
—John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Apr. 2024
There are Christmas markets where people meet up with friends, and all the bars are buzzing.
—Lee Marshall, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Apr. 2024
Mosquitos buzz in, emerging from eggs laid in stagnant water across the region.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 6 Apr. 2024
This eclipse seems to have more buzz than eclipses in the past.
—Emmett Lindner, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
But while the setting was ideal, the conditions were not: The temperature reached nearly 100 degrees that day and lots of feisty bees were buzzing around the chefs’ workstations, which were not tented under the blazing sun.
—Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2024
Imagine millions of homes and businesses buzzing with newfound efficiency.
—Jeff Sprau, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The birds are chirping, the bees are buzzing, and your TV watching queue is getting longer.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024
During routine inventories of the plants and animals of a national park in the French Alps, researchers saw a small, buzzing creature peek out from the wood of a dead tree.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2024
Noun
After back-to-back seasons of boring play and mediocre results, the Giants organization hopes to keep that buzz going for the next 80 home games.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
Some roll of buzz from the London TV Screenings or Series Mania.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024
Each gummy contains 20mg of broad-spectrum CBD: Enough to give a nice buzz, but low enough not to hit you too hard.
—Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
That’s why patents filed by large device manufacturers, like Samsung, lead to renewed buzz around rollable concepts.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Mar. 2024
The firm was easing up its deal pace in 2022, but generative AI technology had the kind of buzz that exceptions could be made.
—Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
The song has been surging in recent weeks due to buzz generated on TikTok, where it has been used in more than 375,000 clips on the platform to date.
—Xander Zellner, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2024
After a buzz at the door, two armed men entered and attempted to rob Stahl of both marijuana and cash.
—Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 23 Mar. 2024
Fresh off of his best actor win at the 2024 Oscars, Cillian Murphy is already creating buzz for another beloved character.
—Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'buzz.' 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
Verb
Middle English bussen, of imitative origin
First Known Use
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Noun
circa 1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of buzz was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing buzz
Dictionary Entries Near buzz
Cite this Entry
“Buzz.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buzz. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
buzz
1 of 2 verb1
: to make a low continuous humming sound like that of a bee
2
: to be filled with a low hum or murmur
the room buzzed with excitement
3
: to send for or signal by means of a buzzer
4
: to fly an airplane low over
buzz
2 of 2 noun1
: a sound of buzzing
2
a
: a signal given by a buzzer
b
: a telephone call
More from Merriam-Webster on buzz
Nglish: Translation of buzz for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of buzz for Arabic Speakers
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