whiz

[ wiz, hwiz ]

See synonyms for: whiz whizzed whizzes whizzing 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.

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.

Origin of whiz

1540–50; imitative; cf. fizz

whiz²

[ wiz, hwiz ]

noun

By shortening

A wooden chair whizzed past my left ear and smashed into the steel door like a gunshot.
Inside a Hospital for the Criminally Insane | Caitlin Dickson | September 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Every joke pretty much whizzed past its target, but the audience laughed dutifully.
Hugh Jackman's Tony Jumping Fail, Plus the Winners and Standout Moments of Broadway's Biggest Night | Tim Teeman | June 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The contracts whizzed back and forth, inflating trading volume and crushing prices.
How Wall Street Computers Almost Killed Knight Trading | Alex Klein, Matthew Zeitlin | August 7, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
“As I crossed the ABC newsroom, Diane Sawyer whizzed by carrying a thick stack of papers,” she writes.
10 Juicy Bits from Christine O’Donnell’s ‘Troublemaker’ | David Sessions | August 12, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
Stuck on a stalled train last week, I sank into Security and the hours whizzed painlessly by.
Four Overlooked Books of 2009 | Taylor Antrim | May 12, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST

The men had crept up so quietly that not till the spear whizzed through the air did he suspect danger.
The Later Cave-Men | Katharine Elizabeth Dopp
The shaft whizzed away with force enough to delight him, and, lo, there was the first bow-and-arrow!
The Wonder Book of Knowledge | Various
Barker dodged, but the edge of it cut open his eyebrow as it whizzed by, and the blood flowed fast.
Eric, or Little by Little | Frederic W. Farrar
On our way we had a near shave, for out of the darkness whizzed a shrapnel shell.
Letters of Lt.-Col. George Brenton Laurie | George Brenton Laurie
A tomato whizzed past his ear and splattered against the wall.
Meeting of the Board | Alan Edward Nourse

Browse