whiz
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to make a humming, buzzing, or hissing sound, as an object passing swiftly through the air.
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to move or rush with such a sound.
The angry hornets whizzed by in a cloud.
verb (used with object)
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to cause to whiz.
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to treat with a whizzer.
noun
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Informal. a person who is quite good at a particular activity, in a certain field, etc..
She's a whiz at math.
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the sound of a whizzing object.
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a swift movement producing such a sound.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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whizsimple
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whizzessimple
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have whizzedperfect
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has whizzedperfect
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am whizzingprogressive
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are whizzingprogressive
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is whizzingprogressive
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have been whizzingperfect progressive
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has been whizzingperfect progressive
Past
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whizzedsimple
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had whizzedperfect
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was whizzingprogressive
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were whizzingprogressive
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had been whizzingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of whiz1
1540–50; imitative; cf. fizz
Origin of whiz2
By shortening
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
New York tabloids dubbed Bloom the “Wall Street Whiz Kid” in the 1980s after he was charged in federal court with bilking nearly 140 people, including his own grandmother, out of a combined $15 million.
From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026
D’Amore finally typed the words “David Bloom, scammer” into her phone, and came across news articles about the crimes of the “Wall Street Whiz Kid.”
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 28, 2023
Jose Zunino, who rode Slew’s Tiz Whiz, said he did not want to be as far back as he was, but said the horse was not handling the loose ground.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 13, 2023
She added a wistful, instrumental version of the Whiz Khalifa song “See You Again” and put it out to her TikTok followers.
From New York Times • Jan. 28, 2023
She reads me the article: ‘“Spaulding Street Elementary’s talented academic team of fifth and sixth graders won the local Whiz Kids quiz competition last night by a score of eighty-six to eighty-five.
From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
