Buzzing

How to spell buzzing

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce buzzing

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does buzzing mean?

1. adjectiveMaking a low, continuous humming or vibrating sound.
2. adjectiveFull of lively activity, energy, or excited talk.

Buzzing in a sentence

• A buzzing fly kept circling the kitchen all afternoon.

• The office was buzzing with conversation before the big launch.

• The old fridge made a faint buzzing noise every night.

• The market square was buzzing with shoppers on Saturday morning.

Where does buzzing come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word grows from 'buzz', which English coined in the 1500s as an imitative or echoic word: the sound of the syllable itself was meant to mimic the low, vibrating hum of a bee or fly. Words built this way, by copying a noise, are called onomatopoeic, and buzz sits alongside relatives like 'hum', 'hiss', and 'whir'. The present participle 'buzzing' simply adds the ordinary -ing ending to that root, and it has long been used both literally for insects and machines and figuratively for places or people full of energetic activity. The figurative sense of a town or office 'buzzing' with talk and motion took hold strongly in the modern era, and the casual sense of a person feeling 'buzzing' (excited or mildly intoxicated) is newer still. The doubled z is the only real spelling point to watch, since the single sharp sound tempts writers toward a single z.

How the word is built

• buzz (imitative root meaning to make a humming sound)
• -ing (present participle / adjectival suffix)