zoom

¹ American  

[zoom] / zum /

verb (used without object)

1. to move quickly or suddenly with a loud humming or buzzing sound.

   cars zooming by on the freeway.

   Synonyms:

   flash, streak, speed, buzz

2. to fly an airplane suddenly and sharply upward at great speed for a short distance, as in regaining altitude, clearing an obstacle, or signaling.

3. Movies, Television. to bring a subject, scene, etc., into closeup or cause it to recede into a long shot using a zoom lens and while maintaining focus.

4. Informal. to increase or rise suddenly and sharply.

   Rents would zoom without rent control laws.

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verb (used with object)

1. to cause (an airplane) to zoom.

2. to fly over (an obstacle) by zooming.

noun

1. the act or process of zooming.

2. a zooming sound.

3. Informal. zoom lens.

4. Also called zoom shot.  Movies, Television. a shot in which a subject, scene, or action is brought closer or made to recede by the use of a zoom lens.

verb phrase

1. zoom in (on)

   1. to bring (a subject, scene, etc.) into closeup by using a zoom lens.

      to zoom in for a look at the injured man; to zoom in on a candidate at a political convention.

   2. to examine more closely or in greater detail; focus on.

      The panel zoomed in on the subject of abortion.

Zoom ² American  

[zoom] / zum /

Trademark.

1. a brand name for a software application and online service that enables voice and video phone calls over the internet.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. to participate in a real-time conversation with (one or more people) using Zoom.

   Yesterday the kids Zoomed their grandparents in Florida.

   We Zoom with remote staff during our Friday meetings.

zoom British  

/ zuːm /

verb

1. to make or cause to make a continuous buzzing or humming sound

2. to move or cause to move with such a sound

3. (intr) to move very rapidly; rush

   we zoomed through town

4. to cause (an aircraft) to climb briefly at an unusually steep angle, or (of an aircraft) to climb in this way

5. (intr) (of prices) to rise rapidly

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noun

1. the sound or act of zooming

2. See zoom lens

Etymology

Origin of zoom¹

First recorded in 1885–90; imitative

Origin of Zoom²

First recorded in 2010–15; shortening of Zoom Video Communications

Explanation

Zoom zoom! This is a word for things moving quickly, either up or in a line. When you hear zoom, think fast. Zoom is a word that can be a sound effect, a noun, or a verb. In comic books, you might see a spaceship taking off with a word bubble saying ZOOM!. Fast cars can zoom; airplanes can zoom. You could say, "In one zoom, we were in the air!" Zooming can also mean to move while making a low humming noise that sounds like zoom. Like boom, zoom is a fun word: it's hard to say Zoom zoom! and be in a bad mood.

Example Sentences

Burden’s “Metropolis II,” perennially on view at Los Angeles County Museum of Art, is a dizzying, looping track for toy cars that zoom between shiny skyscrapers.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026

Unlike memorable judging furors from the 1990s and 2000s, this time there was social media for angry fans to dissect videos and zoom in on every potential misstep.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

“But instead of said hyperscaler slow burn, it’s zoom to the second-order impact of ‘AI disruption’ already hitting bottom lines.”

From MarketWatch • Feb. 4, 2026

Webb's powerful instruments allow scientists to zoom deep into the Helix Nebula, offering a glimpse of what could eventually happen to our own Sun and planetary system.

From Science Daily • Jan. 26, 2026

I stand there in front of that water, staring out at them—watching them flit and fly and zoom, and I can’t help but smile.

From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender

Related Words

• buzz
• dart
• dash
• dive
• flash
• hurtle
• rocket
• shoot up
• skyrocket
• surge
• whirl
• whiz
• zip