buzz

American  

[buhz] / bʌz /

noun

• buzzes
  plural

1. a low, vibrating, humming sound, as of bees, machinery, or people talking.

2. Informal. a rumor or report.

   There's a buzz going around that he'll soon be fired.

3. Informal. a phone call.

   When I find out, I'll give you a buzz.

4. Slang.

   1. a feeling of intense enthusiasm, interest, excitement, or exhilaration: Their ads are generating plenty of buzz.

      I get a terrific buzz from those Pacific sunsets.

      Their ads are generating plenty of buzz.

   2. a feeling of slight intoxication or overstimulation from liquor or drugs.

      Too much caffeine gives me a buzz.

5. buzzcut.

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verb (used without object)

• buzzes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• buzzed,
  past participle,  past
• buzzing
  present participle

1. to make a low, vibrating, humming sound.

2. to speak or murmur with such a sound.

3. to be filled with the sound of buzzing or whispering.

   The room buzzed.

4. to whisper; gossip.

   Everyone is buzzing about the scandal.

5. to move busily from place to place.

6. Slang. to go; leave (usually followed by off oralong ): Tell him to buzz off and leave me alone.

   I'll buzz along now.

   Tell him to buzz off and leave me alone.

verb (used with object)

• buzzes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• buzzed,
  past participle,  past
• buzzing
  present participle

1. to make a buzzing sound with.

   The fly buzzed its wings.

2. to tell or spread (a rumor, gossip, etc.) secretively.

3. to signal or summon with a buzzer.

   He buzzed his assistant.

4. Informal. to make a phone call to.

5. Aeronautics.

   1. to fly a plane very low over.

      to buzz a field.

   2. to signal or greet (someone) by flying a plane low and slowing the motor spasmodically.

idioms

1. have / get a buzz on, to be slightly intoxicated.

   After a few beers they all had a buzz on.

buzz British  

/ bʌz /

noun

1. a rapidly vibrating humming sound, as that of a prolonged z or of a bee in flight

2. a low sound, as of many voices in conversation

3. a rumour; report; gossip

4. informal a telephone call

   I'll give you a buzz

5. slang

   1. a pleasant sensation, as from a drug such as cannabis

   2. a sense of excitement; kick

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verb

1. (intr) to make a vibrating sound like that of a prolonged z

2. (intr) to talk or gossip with an air of excitement or urgency

   the town buzzed with the news

3. (tr) to utter or spread (a rumour)

4. to move around quickly and busily; bustle

5. (tr) to signal or summon with a buzzer

6. informal (tr) to call by telephone

7. informal (tr)

   1. to fly an aircraft very low over (an object)

      to buzz a ship

   2. to fly an aircraft very close to or across the path of (another aircraft), esp to warn or intimidate

8. (tr) (esp of insects) to make a buzzing sound with (wings, etc)

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• buzzing
  noun
• buzzingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• buzzes
  plural

Participles

• buzzing
  present
• buzzed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• buzz
  simple
• buzzes
  simple
• have buzzed
  perfect
• has buzzed
  perfect
• am buzzing
  progressive
• are buzzing
  progressive
• is buzzing
  progressive
• have been buzzing
  perfect progressive
• has been buzzing
  perfect progressive

Past

• buzzed
  simple
• had buzzed
  perfect
• was buzzing
  progressive
• were buzzing
  progressive
• had been buzzing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will buzz
  simple
• will have buzzed
  perfect
• will be buzzing
  progressive
• will have been buzzing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of buzz

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English busse; imitative

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Explanation

A buzz is a vibrating sound, like the sound a bee makes. Your dog might get nervous in your yard when she hears the buzz of insects. Buzz can be a noun or a verb: "My doorbell started to buzz like crazy when everyone showed up for my party." You can also talk about a buzz of activity, a low background noise, or describe the way stunt planes buzz the trees, flying very low. You might tell someone to "buzz off" if you're annoyed with them — this began in 1914 as a way to describe hanging up a telephone — or telling someone to hang up.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

buzz buzzes buzzed buzzing

None of these options provides a particularly strong foundation for a movie, and “The Mosquito Bowl” offers more buzz than bite.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

“You Can See Everything” has generated plenty of awards buzz — but one prize it cannot win is the DGA Award for feature film.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

“It definitely, at least in the short term, created a buzz around AI that had been missing for the past few weeks.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

While standard drones use spinning propellers that slice through open air, creating that high-pitched buzz, Greenjets encloses spinning blades inside a pod, to muffle the sound and direct the noise away from the ground.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

Then this buzz radiated up my calves like a spark climbing a long fuse up my gangly legs, tripping off a series of flashes in my thighs and shoulders.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen

Many speak Russian, but also maintain their own native languages and traditions — dishing out their best gossip in the saunas while a Lakers game buzzes in the background.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

At Temple Street Night Market, steam rises, neon buzzes, just like the guidebooks promised.

From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026

A Riyadh development called Diriyah buzzes with activity around a hub of restaurants set next to a historic ruin, with a Trump-branded hotel planned nearby.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026

The front bar invariably buzzes with locals looking for an after-work bite, hunters and hikers emerging from the Cumberland Plateau and even city folk who make the 1½-hour drive in search of connection.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026

This morning the house buzzes with more activity than ever.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

The crowd at Crypto.com Arena buzzed in anticipation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026

KYIV, Ukraine—As six Ukrainian drones buzzed toward a Russian army warehouse in occupied eastern Ukraine on Monday, the pilots found their connections disrupted.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

And so, on a late morning in late August, I buzzed the seventh floor and rode the elevator straight into the belly of the beast.

From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2026

One evening in early August, farmer Daniel Sizer's phone buzzed with a message.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

And then a second later, the door in front of them buzzed and clicked open, separating a good inch from the doorframe.

From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

The atmosphere in Talarico's hometown of Round Rock was buzzing.

From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026

But Velshi kept his version of his predecessor’s two-step going, buzzing around on MS NOW’s Big Board with a hummingbird’s energy.

From Salon ● Nov. 4, 2026

Gathered on the rooftop of “Wicker” distribution company Black Bear’s Santa Monica office, the two speak in matching leveled and frank tones, seemingly oblivious to the traffic and sirens buzzing below us.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026

Eilish Rothney, a nature reserve manager for the Trinity Broads at the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, found wasps buzzing around the room in June, when she returned from conducting surveys.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

My head is buzzing with all sorts of questions, and the buzzing’s only gotten louder with the empty space and silence and time to think.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

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Related Words

• news
• rumble
• rumor
• whisper

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