to move quickly or suddenly with a loud humming or buzzing sound.
cars zooming by on the freeway.
to fly an airplane suddenly and sharply upward at great speed for a short distance, as in regaining altitude, clearing an obstacle, or signaling.
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.
Informal. to increase or rise suddenly and sharply.
Rents would zoom without rent control laws.
to cause (an airplane) to zoom.
to fly over (an obstacle) by zooming.
to make or cause to make a continuous buzzing or humming sound
to move or cause to move with such a sound
(intr) to move very rapidly; rush
we zoomed through town
to cause (an aircraft) to climb briefly at an unusually steep angle, or (of an aircraft) to climb in this way
(intr) (of prices) to rise rapidly
the sound or act of zooming
See zoom lens
First recorded in 1885–90; imitative
First recorded in 2010–15; shortening of Zoom Video Communications
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I’m definitely learning some large tech and finance words that I didn’t know,” she says with a laugh about her recent wealth-adjacent roles on a Zoom from London, where she makes her home.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
I think the part I played is disturbing,” Rhys says, speaking over Zoom from his Brooklyn home, having recently wrapped Season 2 of “Presumed Innocent.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
While software stocks on the list like Zoom, Okta and the Trade Desk have strong numbers, they are girding for a widely expected battle with AI.
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
Zoom stock, which soared and then tanked during the Covid-19 pandemic, has advanced 29% in 2026.
From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026
“This is the zoom button. Zoom out and find the nearest house. I’m going to check out the road.”
From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith
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.
