whiz

or whizz

[hwiz, wiz]

See more synonyms for whiz on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), whizzed, whiz·zing.

to make a humming, buzzing, or hissing sound, as an object passing swiftly through the air.
to move or rush with such a sound: The angry hornets whizzed by in a cloud.

verb (used with object), whizzed, whiz·zing.

to cause to whiz.
to treat with a whizzer.

noun

Informal. a person who is quite good at a particular activity, in a certain field, etc.: She's a whiz at math.
the sound of a whizzing object.
a swift movement producing such a sound.

Origin of whiz

1540–50; imitative; cf. fizz

Related formswhiz·zing·ly, adverb

whiz

[hwiz, wiz]

noun

wizard(def 3).

Origin of whiz

by shortening

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for whiz

genius, prodigy, flit, whir, hurtle, whoosh, star, expert, pro, virtuoso, adept, professional, marvel, wonder, fly, whirl, swish, zip, bullet, hum

Examples from the Web for whiz

Contemporary Examples of whiz

Significantly, Ruthie was also a whiz at math—a subject in which Bernie was notably deficient.
The Making of Madoff
Jerry Oppenheimer
August 1, 2009

Historical Examples of whiz

Then wielding the sword aloft, he made it whiz past Mr. Landor's neck.
In the Forbidden Land
Arnold Henry Savage Landor
A flash—a report—and the whiz of a bullet told him that he was observed.
Jack Harkaway's Boy Tinker Among The Turks
Bracebridge Hemyng
He was about to go on to say that he wondered if he would be caught at all, when—whiz!
Zodiac Town
Nancy Byrd Turner
The other ferry-boats have a comical appearance as they whirl and whiz past us.
Lippincott's Magazine, November 1885
Various
They had not gone many hundred yards before I heard the whiz of a bullet.
Adventures in Many Lands
Various

Word Origin and History for whiz

"clever person," 1914, probably a special use of whiz "something remarkable" (1908), an extended sense of whizz; or perhaps a shortened form of wizard. Noun phrase whiz kid is from 1930s, a take-off on a radio show's quiz kid.