fizz
Americanverb (used without object)
noun
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a fizzing sound; effervescence.
-
soda water or other effervescent water.
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an iced mixed drink made of liquor, lemon juice, sugar, and soda.
gin fizz.
-
British Informal. champagne.
verb
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to make a hissing or bubbling sound
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(of a drink) to produce bubbles of carbon dioxide, either through fermentation or aeration
noun
-
a hissing or bubbling sound
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the bubbly quality of a drink; effervescence
-
any effervescent drink
Usage
What does fizz mean? Fizz is a bubbliness or bubbly quality, like the kind in a carbonated drink. A much more formal word for this is effervescence.Fizz can also refer to the kind of hissing sound that such bubbliness makes or to the kind of drink that’s known for having fizz, like soda (pop), seltzer, and soda water (which is sometimes called fizzwater).More specifically, the word fizz can refer to an alcoholic mixed drink containing liquor, fruit juice, sugar, and club soda. A classic example is a gin fizz.Fizz is also a British slang term for champagne, which is known for bubbliness (it’s sometimes called bubbly for the same reason).Fizz can also be used as a verb meaning to make a bubbling or hissing noise or to produce bubbles, as in That soda bottle may fizz a bit when you open it. Something that’s bubbly or fizzing can be described with the adjective fizzy.Example: I like how the fizz tickles my nose as I’m drinking.
Other Word Forms
- fizzer noun
- fizziness noun
- fizzy adjective
Etymology
Origin of fizz
First recorded in 1655–65; back formation from fizzle
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.
A class of seven and eight-year-olds fizz with excitement, with no real idea about the comedy timing, over-the-top baddies and "behind you" jokes ahead of them.
From BBC
Garnacho's run and cross teed up Palmer for a low strike that fizzed just wide from 10 yards.
From Barron's
This does not mean the trapped water glows or fizzes.
From Science Daily
The drink fizzes, crackles, and pops in the glass.
From Literature
Carpenter closed, as she always does, with “Espresso,” and if you’d assumed that by now this breezy electro-pop bop would inevitably have lost some of its fizz, think again.
From Los Angeles Times
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.