whiz

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wɪz/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪz

Etymology 1

Onomatopoeic. Compare huzz, hizz, hiss. In some noun senses perhaps derived from wizard.

Alternative forms

• whizz (British), wiz, wizz,

Verb

whiz (third-person singular simple present whizzes, present participle whizzing, simple past and past participle whizzed) (American spelling)

1. To make a whirring or hissing sound, similar to that of an object speeding through the air.
2. To rush or move swiftly with such a sound.
3. To throw or spin rapidly.
4. (vulgar, slang) To urinate.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:urinate

   We whizzed in the bushes.

   • 1990, Stephen King, The Moving Finger:

     The first thing Howard did following Vi's departure was to haul the step-stool over to the kitchen sink and whiz into the drain again.

Derived terms

• whizzing stick
• whizzle

Translations

to make a whirring or hissing sound

• Bulgarian: фуча (bg) (fuča), свистя (svistja)
• Finnish: suhista (fi), sihistä (fi), sähistä (fi)
• German: zischen (de)
• Hungarian: süvít (hu)

to rush or move swiftly with such sound

• Bulgarian: профучавам (bg) (profučavam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 呼啸 (zh) (hūxiào)

• Finnish: humista, suhahtaa
• German: rauschen (de), düsen (de), zischen (de), schwirren (de)
• Hungarian: süvít (hu), száguld (hu)
• Portuguese: soprar com forte rugido
• Spanish: soplar con un fuerte rugido
• Urdu: جھومنا،ہلنا،

to throw or spin rapidly

• Finnish: sujauttaa

urinate — see urinate

Noun

whiz (countable and uncountable, plural whizzes)

1. A whirring or hissing sound (as above).
2. (informal) Someone who is remarkably skilled at something.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:skilled person

   He's a whiz with the computers.

   • 1987, Kerry Cue, Hang On To Your Horses Doovers, page 77:

     The chefs are veritable whizzes at arranging food on your plate to look like happy frog faces and growly clown faces.

   • 2014 December 15, Tom Kludt, “Story of the $72 million teen trader unravels”, in CNN‎^[1]:

     It didn't take long for New York Magazine's story on a 17-year-old stock whiz with a rumored net worth of $72 million to make a splash. But the story's juicy premise unraveled almost as quickly.

3. (colloquial, Westborough) Westborough regional colloquialism referring to hobby stores that utilize their backrooms for hosting tabletop role-playing game tournaments, in similar usage as “packie” to refer to liquor stores in New England, and is the origin of the term “whizzing” to refer to such gamers sprinting to the nearest fast food eatery during halftime, leading streets near whizzes to install “beware of whizzing” signs at streets frequently crossed by hungry gamers.
4. (vulgar, slang, especially with the verb "take") An act of urination.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:urination

   I have to take a whiz.

5. (UK, slang, uncountable) Amphetamine.
   • 1995, “Sorted For E’s and Wizz”, in Jarvis Cocker (lyrics), Different Class, performed by Pulp:

     And I don't quite understand just what this feeling is / But that's okay cause we're all sorted out for E's and wizz

6. (UK, slang, with "the") Pickpocketing.
   • 2003, David W. Maurer, Whiz Mob, page 40:

     This type of pickpocket, it should be noted, is passing from the scene; most class cannons now operating are old-timers. “The only youngsters I see breaking in on the whiz are jigs, and they are coining a bebop lingo that is something. […]

Derived terms

• gee whiz
• take a whiz
• whiz kid
• whizzer

Translations

whirring or hissing sound

• Bulgarian: фучене (bg) n (fučene), свистене n (svistene)
• Finnish: suhahdus (fi), sihinä (fi), sihahdus (fi), sähinä, sähähdys (fi)
• Greek:

  Ancient: ῥοῖζος m (rhoîzos)

• Hungarian: süvítés (hu)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: گڤە (gve)

someone remarkably skilled at something

• Finnish: taituri (fi), taitaja (fi), taitoniekka (fi)
• French: génie (fr) m
• German: Wunder- (de)

urination — see urination

Etymology 2

See with.

Preposition

whiz

1. (slang) Pronunciation spelling of with.