whiz-bang

American

[hwiz-bang, wiz-, hwiz-bang, wiz-] / ˈʰwɪzˌbæŋ, ˈwɪz-, ˈʰwɪzˈbæŋ, ˈwɪz- /

Or whizbang,

noun

Military. a small, high-speed shell whose sound as it flies through the air arrives almost at the same instant as its explosion.
a firecracker with a similar effect.
Informal. whiz.

adjective

Informal. first-rate; topnotch.

a whiz-bang navigator.

Etymology

Origin of whiz-bang

First recorded in 1910–15; imitative of the sound

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.

This might not be the last test where Beijing leans on its strength in work-a-day industrial semiconductors while Silicon Valley is entranced by whiz-bang artificial-intelligence-driven breakthroughs, though.

From Barron's • Nov. 6, 2025

The life-size portrait he produced is a whiz-bang spectacle of courtly pomp and dynastic circumstance.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 2024

“The Phantom Menace” left no doubt of that, revealing Lucas to be less of some space opera guru than a guy more skilled at whiz-bang effects than character development or thoughtful exposition.

From Salon • May 25, 2024

Along the way, Speck and Gordon show off some filmmaking style, weaving the camera through Manhattan’s streets with whiz-bang proficiency.

From Washington Post • Oct. 6, 2022

I guess I hadn’t understood what it meant to be a whiz-bang.

From "Homesick" by Jean Fritz

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023