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• zoom
  zoom

  verb (used without object)

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

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

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

• zooms
  plural

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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• zooms
  plural

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

See Examples For:

zoom Zoom zooms

The Duo has just 2X zoom, which wouldn’t cut it for the dozens of pictures I take of my kid every day.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

Trying out the camera, I immediately missed the 8X zoom in my Pro model.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

Tractors zoom around, fallen nuts are collected, and trucks cart off the bins of almonds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

Others zoom in on parts of the costume and post conspiracy theories about Mike Myers, who played the character in the 2003 film, being trapped inside.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

Bernabe negotiated a tight U-turn, paused to let a two-ton flatbed, piled high with hay bales from Colorado, zoom down the highway, then crossed the road and pulled over slightly ahead of Amarante.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Nike’s Zoom Court Dragon, a basketball shoe with a dragon’s scale pattern released in 2022, was criticized for its $130 price tag and relying on the tired dragon motif to connect with Chinese customers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

Therapists and “estrangement coaches” have produced a new wave of paid offerings, from books and podcasts to support groups and Zoom consultations, that purport to help both parents and adult children navigate a cutoff.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

Room Rater built an audience scoring Zoom backgrounds for lighting, depth, art and visible cords; books themselves became set dressing.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

When I spoke to her through Zoom, she was backlit by a shade-drawn window, her face weaving in and out of California shadow, a bandanna covering her dark hair.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

She let the wrapper drop to the floor and handed me back my Zoom.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

The Bavarian forest beautifully stands in for 1930s Oregon and cinematographer Matteo Cocco balances ’70s-inspired slow zooms with composed, high-contrast images that hark to early 20th century styles of photography.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

Metro zooms out to "extreme weather" events impacting people "at home and abroad", carrying the story of "1 million Chinese forced to flee Typhoon Dolphin as Britain braces for yet another 36C heatwave".

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

After some back and forth, McElwee relented, letting Adrian try his slow zooms and dynamic shots.

From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026

“Nevertheless, I personally don’t think you can short stocks right now until bonds re-break, or chase back into positioning zooms to ‘extreme greedy/ FOMO’ behavior first,” said the strategist.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 16, 2026

A red sports car zooms by on the road, puddle- spraying our fence.

From "Rules" by Cynthia Lord

Related Words

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