whiz

[ wiz, hwiz ]

/ wɪz, ʰwɪz /

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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.

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.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

Origin of whiz

1540–50; imitative; cf. fizz

whiz·zing·ly, adverb

whiz²

[ wiz, hwiz ]

/ wɪz, ʰwɪz /

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|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|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|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|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|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