spaz

American  

[spaz] / spæz /

Or spazz

noun

1. an awkward or clumsy person.

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verb (used without object)

spazzed, spazzing

1. to move in an awkward or clumsy way (usually followed byout ).

   She spazzed out and we had broken glass all over the floor.

2. to become more angry than a situation warrants (usually followed byout ).

   Mom spazzed out when she smelled cigarette smoke on my clothes.

3. to twitch.

   He was spazzing and muttering to himself, like the old speed freak he is.

Sensitive Note

See spastic.

Etymology

Origin of spaz

First recorded in 1960–65; shortening and alteration of spastic

Example Sentences

The song "Heated," co-written by Beyoncé and Drake, among others, included a lyric with the word "spaz," an outdated word many find harmful.

From Salon • Aug. 3, 2022

“I am kind of a crazy spaz, and he would always tell me, ‘You need to calm down, keep it simple.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 22, 2021

Give yourself permission to be shy, nervous, and maybe a little bit of a spaz.

From Slate • Jun. 4, 2019

As a boy, I was a goofball, a class clown, and a spaz.

From The New Yorker • Feb. 21, 2019

The girl turned and stared back, quizzically, a little accusing and a little fearful, as if to ask, Is there something on my face or are you just a spaz?

From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu