abuzz

American  

[uh-buhz] / əˈbʌz /

adjective

1. buzzing.

2. full of or alive with activity, talk, etc..

   The company was abuzz with rumors about the new owner.

---

abuzz British  

/ əˈbʌz /

adjective

1. (postpositive) humming, as with conversation, activity, etc; buzzing

---

Etymology

Origin of abuzz

First recorded in 1855–60; a- ¹ + buzz

Explanation

If a room is abuzz, it's full of noise and chatter. An elementary school classroom is bound to be abuzz on the last day of school before summer. When a place is abuzz, it's bustling with activity and sounds, humming in a way that resembles the buzzing of bees. The whole town might be abuzz with excitement about a movie being filmed there, or your house could be abuzz with excited children during a birthday party. Charles Dickens is credited with the first written use of this adjective, in his 1859 novel "A Tale of Two Cities."

Example Sentences

Germany too has been abuzz with film activity.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

A surreal drum duet between two East Asian world leaders has set the internet abuzz - and put a spotlight on Japan and South Korea's diplomatic relationship.

From BBC • Jan. 14, 2026

The first winds of west Africa's Harmattan dry season are in the air, and Lagos, the economic capital of the continent's most populous country, is abuzz.

From Barron's • Dec. 22, 2025

The industry is abuzz about a potential nuclear renaissance and the addition of large and small reactors, but experts think it could take a decade before many projects are completed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 4, 2025

The sea was abuzz with the soft sounds of animals.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown