zoom
/zuːm/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.83 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An augmentation of a view, by varying the focal length of a lens, or digitally.
Countable; Uncountable
verb
To zoom climb.
Example Sentences
- "the zoom of traffic"
- "What's the zoom like on your camera?"
- "We zoomed along the highway."
- "He ran to his right and another shot came at his legs. It hit the floor and zoomed into a huge carboy of clams that split in half and emptied a hundred shell-fish over the floor."
- "[…] and it was strange sitting in their brand-new comfortable car and hearing them talk of exams as we zoomed smoothly into town."
- "prices zoomed"
Etymology
Uncertain. The verb was first attested c. 1892, as a noun in 1918 and as an interjection in 1942. Apparently related to Scots soom (“to buzz, hum”), dialectal English and Scots soom, swoom, sweem (“to spin or twirl at high speed”). Compare also dialectal English sweem (“to swoon, become dizzy or faint”).