zizz, v.

zizz
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zizz_v%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
Revised 2021

# zizzverb

## Earlier version

- zizz, v. in OED Second Edition (1989)

## Factsheet

### What does the verb zizz mean?

There are three meanings listed in OED's entry for the verb zizz. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

### How common is the verb zizz?

Fewer than 0.01occurrences per million words in modern written English

1880 | 0.0005
1890 | 0.0006
1900 | 0.0007
1910 | 0.0008
1920 | 0.0009
1930 | 0.001
1940 | 0.001
1950 | 0.001
1960 | 0.001
1970 | 0.0011
1980 | 0.0011
1990 | 0.0012
2000 | 0.0013
2010 | 0.0014

### How is the verb zizz pronounced?

#### British English

/zɪz/
ziz

#### U.S. English

/zɪz/
ziz

### Where does the verb zizz come from?

Earliest known use

1880s

The earliest known use of the verb zizz is in the 1880s.

OED's earliest evidence for zizz is from 1883, in the Trenton Times (Trenton, New Jersey).

It is also recorded as an exclamation from the 1820s.

zizz is formed within English, by conversion.

Etymons: zizz n.

### Nearby entries

1. zitherist, n. 1866–
2. zither-like, adj. 1881–
3. ziti, n. 1845–
4. zitty, adj. 1971–
5. Ziv, n. a1382–
6. zizania, n. 1526–
7. zizany, n. a1400–1803
8. zizel, n. 1775–
9. zizypha, n. 1546–1775
10. zizyphus, n.?1440–
11. zizz, v.1883–
12. zizz, int. & n. 1824–
13. zizzing, n. 1884–
14. zizzing, adj. 1919–
15. zizzy, adj. 1843–
16. Zlid, n. 1616–1785
17. Z'life, n. 1689
18. Z line, n. 1916–
19. Z-list, n. & adj. 1979–
20. Z-lister, n. 1999–
21. zloty, n. 1915–

## Etymology

### Summary

Formed within English, by conversion.
< zizz n.

## Meaning & use

1. 1. 1.a.
      1883–
      intransitive. To make a whizzing or buzzing sound; to move with such a sound (usually with adverb or prepositional phrase expressing direction).
      1. 1883

         > To-day, after their mud batteries have been zizzing for six weeks, Leon Abbett is stronger than ever.

         Trenton (New Jersey) Times 2 November
      2. 1919

         > The ‘Glorious Fourth’ was marked in Cullman only by an unusual number of cars zizzing along the streets.

         Cullman (Alabama) Democrat 10 July
      3. 1963

         > Then she [sc. a bee] saw the carpet and zizzed.

         Punch 1 May 621/3
      4. 1970

         > The banger'd started zizzing furiously.

         T. Lewis, Jack's Return Home 89
      5. 2002

         > Outside the mouth of the cave, hummingbirds zizz past.

         Smithsonian May 102/3
      1. hurr 1398–
         intransitive. To make or utter a dull sound of vibration or trilling; to buzz as an insect; to snarl as a dog; to pronounce a trilled r.
      2. hoss 1530
         intransitive. To buzz.
      3. breeze 1688
         intransitive. To buzz as a breeze or gadfly.
      4. bombilate 1854–
         intransitive. To hum or buzz; to make a low buzzing or droning sound; to move with or as if with such a sound. Also figurative: to be animated by or…
      5. zizz 1883–
         intransitive. To make a whizzing or buzzing sound; to move with such a sound (usually with adverb or prepositional phrase expressing direction).
      6. zoom 1886–
         intransitive. To move or travel very quickly, esp. making a continuous humming, buzzing, or droning sound; to make such a sound while moving…
      7. zither 1889–
         intransitive. To make a sound like that of a zither; to make a sibilant humming sound; to buzz lightly. Also: to move while making such a sound.
      View in Historical Thesaurus
   2. 1.b.
      1912–
      transitive. To cause (something) to make a whizzing or buzzing sound; to cause (something) to move with such a sound.
      1. 1912

         > In fact, if every opposing player had zizzed a daisy-cutter into Doc's interior department, he couldn't have been more surprised.

         Muskogee (Oklahoma) Times-Democrat 26 March
      2. 1970

         > Darts and circles about on the floor after its wheels are zizzed smartly.

         Daily Telegraph 16 December 11
      3. 2010

         > ‘No disabled access.’ Frankie zizzed the chair into life, ‘That's against the law.’

         L. Welsh, Naming Bones ix. 100
      1. buzz 1820–
         To move with buzzing; to cause to buzz.
      2. zizz 1912–
         transitive. To cause (something) to make a whizzing or buzzing sound; to cause (something) to move with such a sound.
      View in Historical Thesaurus
2. 2.
   1942–
   intransitive. colloquial (chiefly British). To have a short sleep or nap; to sleep. Occasionally transitive with away: to expend (time) in sleeping. Cf. to zizz off, Z n. I.4.
   1. 1942
      implied in:

      > Sleeping is ‘zizzing’ whether it's on the job or in the hammock. [at zizzing n. 2]

      Gen 1 September 13/1
   2. 1945

      > Get your head down, have a sleep. Also Zizz, Pound the ear, [etc.].

      D. Bolster, Roll on my Twelve Gloss. 134
   3. 1961

      > Reckon this sector's safe. Might as well zizz.

      D. Moore, Highway of Fear xxxvi. 240
   4. 1972

      > I zizzed away the worst of the afternoon, awaking some three hours later.

      K. Bonfiglioli, Don't point that Thing at Me xii. 94
   5. 2004

      > I nod off in chairs, I rest my head on my arms at my desk and zizz.

      Daily Mail 25 March 12/2
   British English colloquial and slang
   1. nap Old English–
      intransitive. To sleep lightly or for a brief time; to take a short sleep. Formerly also: †to be sleepy (obsolete). In earlier use also figurative…
   2. slumber c1220–
      intransitive. To sleep, esp. to sleep lightly; to doze or drowse.
   3. sloom c1275–
      intransitive. To slumber; to doze.
   4. wink 1412–1649
      To have the eyes closed in sleep; to sleep; sometimes, to doze, slumber. Obsolete.
   5. to take (also catch, have, steal, etc.) a (also one's) nap a1425–
      to take (also catch, have, steal, etc.) a (also one's) nap.
   6. to sleep a wink 1542–
      to sleep a wink, usually with negative.
   7. drowse 1598–
      intransitive. To be drowsy; to be heavy or dull with or as with sleep; to be half asleep. Also with away, off.
   8. jouk a1652
      pseudo-archaic. To doze.
   9. doze 1693–
      intransitive. To sleep drowsily; to fall into a light sleep unintentionally from drowsiness; to be half asleep; to nod. Also figurative. So, to do…
   10. snooze 1789–
       intransitive. To sleep; to slumber, to doze.
   11. catnap 1823–
       intransitive. To sleep lightly and for a short period of time; to take a brief nap, esp. during the day. Cf. catnap, n.
   12. snoozle 1831–
       intransitive. To nestle and sleep or doze; to nuzzle.
   13. zizz 1942–
       intransitive. colloquial (chiefly British). To have a short sleep or nap; to sleep. Occasionally transitive with away: to expend (time) in…
   View in Historical Thesaurus
   1. sleep Old English–
      With cognate object: To take rest in, continue in (sleep).
   2. slumber 1749–
      To pass, spend, or waste (time) in sleep or slumber. Const. away, out, through; rarely without adverb.
   3. to get one's head down 1868–
      Originally Nautical. To settle oneself down before going to sleep; to have a sleep, to get some sleep.
   4. zizz 1972–
      intransitive. colloquial (chiefly British). To have a short sleep or nap; to sleep. Occasionally transitive with away: to expend (time) in…
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/zɪz/
ziz

### U.S. English

/zɪz/
ziz

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- ɬrhingyll
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛtl/ but /ˈpɛtl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- iːfleece
- ihappy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- atrap, bath
- ɑːstart, palm, bath
- ɒlot
- ɔːthought, force
- ʌstrut
- ʊfoot
- uːgoose
- əletter
- əːnurse
- ɪənear
- ɛːsquare
- ʊəcure
- eɪface
- ʌɪpride
- aʊmouth
- əʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ãgratin
- ɒ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye*
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

* /d/ also represents a 'tapped' /t/ as in

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛd(ə)l/ but /ˈpɛdl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- ifleece, happy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- ætrap, bath
- ɑlot, palm, cloth, thought
- ɑrstart
- ɔcloth, thought
- ɔrnorth, force
- ʊfoot
- ugoose
- əstrut, comma
- ərnurse, letter
- ɪ(ə)rnear
- ɛ(ə)rsquare
- ʊ(ə)rcure
- eɪface
- aɪpride
- aʊmouth
- oʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ɑ̃gratin
- æ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

Simple text respell breaks words into syllables, separated by a hyphen. The syllable which carries the primary stress is written in capital letters. This key covers both British and U.S. English Simple Text Respell.

##### Consonants

b, d, f, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w and z have their standard English values

- gguy
- jjay
- yyore
- chchore
- khloch
- shshore
- ththaw
- dhthee
- zhbeige

##### Vowels

- atrap
- ahpalm
- airsquare
- arstart
- arrcarry (British only)
- awthought
- ayface
- a(ng)gratin
- edress
- eefleece
- eerdeer
- errmerry
- ikit
- ighpride
- irrmirror
- olot (British only)
- ohgoat
- oogoose
- oorcure
- orforce
- orrsorry (British only)
- owmouth
- oyvoice
- o(ng)salon
- ustrut
- uhletter
- urnurse
- urrhurry
- uufoot

## Frequency

zizz typically occurs fewer than 0.01 times per million words in modern written English.

zizz is in frequency band 2, which contains words occurring between 0.001 and 0.01 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands

Frequency data is computed programmatically, and should be regarded as an estimate.

### Frequency of zizz, v., 1880–2010

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Historical frequency series are derived from Google Books Ngrams (version 2), a data set based on the Google Books corpus of several million books printed in English between 1500 and 2010.

The overall frequency for a given word is calculated by summing frequencies for the main form of the word, any plural or inflected forms, and any major spelling variations.

For sets of homographs (distinct entries that share the same word-form, e.g. mole, n.¹, mole, n.², mole, n.³, etc.), we have estimated the frequency of each homograph entry as a fraction of the total Ngrams frequency for the word-form. This may result in inaccuracies.

Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the Google Books corpus.

Decade | Frequency per million words
--- | ---
1880 | 0.0005
1890 | 0.0006
1900 | 0.0007
1910 | 0.0008
1920 | 0.0009
1930 | 0.001
1940 | 0.001
1950 | 0.001
1960 | 0.001
1970 | 0.0011
1980 | 0.0011
1990 | 0.0012
2000 | 0.0013
2010 | 0.0014

## Phrasal verbs

1. With adverbs in specialized senses.
   1. to zizz off
      colloquial (chiefly British).
      1. 1962–
         intransitive. To fall asleep. Cf. sense 2.
         1. 1962

            > He squawked sleepily, straightened some ruffled feathers and tried to zizz off again.

            B. Clifford & N. Illingworth, Voy. Golden Lotus x. 115
         2. 1978

            > When everyone inside the building had zizzed off he had sneaked inside.

            Sunday Mail (Brisbane) 30 April (Magazine) 20/6
         3. 2011

            > I must have zizzed off, 'cause the next thing I knew I was woken by a sudden noise.

            F. Dunbar, Fire & Roses (e-book edition) iii
         British English colloquial and slang
         1. to fall, lull, lay (bring) asleep Old English–
            Into a state of sleep; esp, in the phrases to fall, lull, lay (†bring) asleep.
         2. to fall over a1752–
            intransitive. Scottish. To fall asleep.
         3. to go off 1813–
            intransitive. To fall asleep; to pass into unconsciousness. Also more fully to go off to sleep, etc.
         4. to drop off 1820–
            intransitive. To fall asleep.
         5. to fall off 1822–
            intransitive. To fall asleep. Cf. to drop off 2 at drop, v. phrasal verbs. With complement, as to fall off to sleep, to fall off asleep, etc.
         6. to get off to sleep 1837–
            intransitive. To succeed in falling asleep; to fall asleep. Frequently in to get off to sleep.
         7. to fall off 1862–
            intransitive. To fall asleep. Cf. to drop off 2 at drop, v. phrasal verbs. Without complement.
         8. tope 1863–
            intransitive. To incline, nod, or fall to one side; to topple or fall over; to fall asleep; to die. dialect.
         9. sleepy-baw 1907–
            A nursery name for sleep; also as v. intransitive, to go to sleep.
         10. to go out 1928–
             intransitive. colloquial (originally U.S.). To fall asleep; to faint, lose consciousness. Esp. in to go out like a light: to fall asleep…
         11. to zizz off 1962–
             intransitive. To fall asleep. Cf. sense 2.
         View in Historical Thesaurus
   2. to zizz up
      colloquial.
      1. 1944–
         transitive. To make (something) more lively, exciting, or vibrant; to energize. Cf. zizz n. B.2, zhuzh v.
         1. 1944

            > Lots of flood control talk is rumbling up and down the Kaw river these days with chamber of commerce groups and army engineers trying to get folks zizzed up into building reservoirs.

            Lawrence (Kansas) Daily Jrnl.-World 9 October 2/6
         2. 1965

            > An adventurous buyer deciding that model 127 is just the thing to zizz up his mid-season collection.

            Harper's Bazaar February 21/2
         3. 2017

            > A great recipe for tuna steaks zizzed up with Indian spices.

            Daily Mail (Nexis) 2 June
         colloquial and slang
         1. akele Old English–1500
            transitive. To refresh, reinvigorate. Also reflexive. Obsolete.
         2. rest Old English–
            transitive. To give rest or repose to (a person, a part of the body, etc.); to relieve or refresh by rest; to lay to rest. Also intransitive.
         3. ease c1300–1764
            transitive. To refresh (a person) with rest or food; to provide accommodation or hospitality to (a guest); to shelter or stable (an animal). Obsolete.
         4. comfort 1303–1725
            To strengthen (the bodily faculties, organs, etc.); to invigorate, refresh. Obsolete.
         5. quick c1350–
            transitive. To give or restore vigour to; to stir up, inspire; = quicken, v.¹ I.2. Now chiefly poetic.
         6. recure a1382–1647
            transitive. To restore (a person) to health after sickness, suffering, etc.; to cure, heal. Frequently with from, of. Also figurative.
         7. refresh a1382–
            transitive. To impart fresh strength or energy to (a person, the spirits, a part of the body, etc.); to reinvigorate, revive; to provide with…
         8. refete c1384–1525
            transitive. To refect or refresh with food or drink. Also figurative.
         9. restore c1384–
            transitive. To bring (a person or a part of the body) back to a state of health, vigour, or strength; to heal. Also intransitive: to restore…
         10. affile a1393–1518
             transitive. To prepare (oneself) for some activity, goal, etc.
         11. enforce c1400–1775
             To add force to, intensify, strengthen (a feeling, desire, influence); to impart fresh vigour or energy to (an action, movement, attack, etc.). Obs…
         12. fresh c1405–1910
             transitive. To give strength or energy to (a person or thing); to reinvigorate, revive. Also: to increase. Cf. to fresh up 2. Obsolete.
         13. revigour?a1425–1649
             transitive (chiefly in passive). To restore to vigour.
         14. recomfort c1425–
             transitive. Usually of a thing: to strengthen or invigorate physically; to refresh. Also intransitive. Now rare.
         15. recreate c1425–
             transitive. To restore to a good or normal physical condition from a state of weakness or exhaustion; to refresh, reinvigorate (nature, strength, a…
         16. quicken?c1430–
             transitive. To give, add, or restore vigour to (a person); to rouse, motivate, stir up.
         17. revive 1442–
             transitive. To give fresh life or vigour to; to restore from a tired, languid, or depressed state. In early use also with infinitive.
         18. cheer c1443–
             To strengthen or revive physically. transitive. Of food or drink: to refresh or invigorate (a person, the body, etc.). Also with person as…
         19. refection?c1450–1881
             transitive. To refresh, nourish; to provide with a refection.
         20. refect 1488–
             transitive. To refresh (another, oneself), esp. with food or drink; to restore from weariness or fatigue. Now rare (archaic and humorous in later…
         21. unweary 1530–1699
             transitive (and reflexive). To restore from weariness; to refresh or rest.
         22. freshen 1532–
             transitive. To give strength or energy to (a person, a person's mind, spirits, etc., or a part of the body); to reinvigorate, revive.
         23. corroborate 1541–1822
             To strengthen constitutionally, or organically; to invigorate, refresh. Obsolete.
         24. vige?c1550
             transitive. To invigorate.
         25. erect?1555–1734
             figurative from senses II.4, II.5. To rouse, stir up, excite, embolden (the mind, oneself). Obsolete.
         26. recollect?1560–
             transitive. To gather or summon up (strength, courage, etc.); to rally or recover again by an effort. Now rare.
         27. repose 1562–1892
             transitive. To give or afford rest to (a person); to refresh by means of rest. Also figurative. Obsolete.
         28. respite 1565–1857
             transitive. To relieve by an interval of rest; to allow to rest. Obsolete.
         29. rouse 1574–
             transitive. To stir up, incite to action, spur on; to bring to a state of excitement or heightened emotion. Also with up. Without construction.
         30. requicken 1576–
             transitive. To reanimate, revive (a person, the spirits, etc.).
         31. animate 1585–
             transitive. To impart liveliness, vividness, or interest to; to enliven.
         32. enlive 1593–1659
             transitive. To impart natural or spiritual life to, animate (a body, an individual). Also figurative.
         33. revify 1598–1784
             transitive. = revivify, v.
         34. inanimate 1600–70
             To animate, encourage, quicken.
         35. insinew 1600–11
             transitive. To furnish with sinews; to innerve; to inspire with vigour or strength.
         36. to wind up 1602–
             transitive. To excite or work up (a person, emotion, etc.) so as to induce a heightened state, now esp. one of agitation or tension. Frequently in p…
         37. vigorize 1603
             transitive. To invigorate.
         38. inspirit c1610–
             transitive. To put spirit, life, or energy into; to quicken, enliven, animate; to cheer, encourage; to incite, stir (to something, or to do…
         39. invigour 1611–
             transitive. To inspire with vigour; to invigorate.
         40. refocillate 1611–
             transitive. To revive, reanimate, or refresh (a person, the spirits, senses, etc.).
         41. revigorate 1611–
             transitive. To reinvigorate.
         42. renovate 1614–
             transitive. To reinvigorate, refresh. Also intransitive.
         43. spriten 1614
             transitive. To put spirit or life into; to enliven, animate.
         44. repair a1616–25
             transitive. To revive, reinvigorate (a person). Obsolete.
         45. activate 1624–
             transitive. To make (more) active; to move to activity; to initiate (a process). Also: to motivate.
         46. vigour 1636
             transitive. To invigorate; to inspire with vigour.
         47. enliven 1644–
             To give fuller life to; to animate, inspirit, invigorate physically or spiritually; to quicken (feelings), stimulate (trade, etc.).
         48. invigorate 1646–
             transitive. To impart vigour to; to render vigorous; to fill with life and energy; to strengthen, animate.
         49. rally 1650–
             transitive. Originally: to concentrate or summon up (one's faculties, courage, etc.) by an effort of will. Later also: to revive or restore…
         50. reinvigorate 1652–
             transitive. To invigorate again; to give fresh vigour to.
         51. renerve 1652–
             transitive. To give renewed strength or vigour to; (now esp.) to re-embolden with fresh courage or nerve; to steel. Also intransitive.
         52. to freshen up 1654–
             transitive. To give strength or energy to (a person, a person's mind, spirits, etc., or a part of the body); to reinvigorate, revive.
         53. right 1658–
             transitive. With up. Originally: to repair or refurbish. In later use (regional and U.S.) also: to clear or clean, to straighten or fix; (also) to…
         54. re-enliven a1660–
             transitive. To give new life or energy to (something); to reanimate, reinvigorate.
         55. recruit a1661–
             transitive. To regain (one's spirits, health, strength, etc.); to refresh or reinvigorate. Also: to improve or restore the strength or health of…
         56. enlighten 1667
             transitive. To revive, reinvigorate. Cf. brighten, v. 2a. Obsolete. rare.
         57. revivify 1675–
             transitive. To revive or reinvigorate; to restore to a flourishing or vigorous condition.
         58. untire 1677–
             transitive. To free from being tired; to rest.
         59. reanimate 1694–
             transitive. To give fresh vigour or energy to (a thing).
         60. stimulate 1759
             To rouse to action or exertion as by pricking or goading; to spur on; to incite (a person) to do something; to impart additional energy to (an…
         61. rebrace 1764–
             transitive. To brace again.
         62. refreshen 1780–
             transitive. To make fresh again; to refresh.
         63. brisken 1799–
             transitive. To make brisk or lively. Also with up.
         64. irrigate 1823–
             figurative. To refresh or make fruitful as with a supply of moisture.
         65. tonic 1825–
             (transitive) to act as a tonic upon, to invigorate, ‘brace up’; to administer a tonic to.
         66. to fresh up 1835–
             transitive. To give strength or energy to (a person or animal, a person's mind, spirits, etc.); to reinvigorate, revive. Cf. to freshen up 1.
         67. ginger 1844–
             transitive. figurative. To spice up; to enliven, to stimulate; to put mettle or spirit into; to rouse, to coax (into something or to do something)…
         68. spell 1846–
             To relieve by an interval of rest; to rest (esp. a horse). Chiefly Australian.
         69. recuperate 1849–
             transitive. To restore (a person) to health or vigour. Chiefly reflexive or in passive with unexpressed agent.
         70. tone 1859–
             transitive. To impart a tone to (in various senses of the noun); to modify, regulate, or adjust the tone or quality of; to give physical or mental…
         71. innerve 1880–
             = innervate, v.; also figurative to animate.
         72. fiercen 1896–
             transitive. To make fierce. to fiercen up: to brush up, enliven. dialect.
         73. to buck up 1909–
             to buck up. intransitive. To cheer up, be encouraged. Also transitive in causal sense.
         74. pep 1912–
             transitive. With up. To fill or inspire with liveliness or vigour; to restore energy or enthusiasm in (a person); to invigorate, stimulate, cheer…
         75. to zip up 1927–
             transitive. To add liveliness or vigour to (a person or thing); to make more interesting or exciting; to make (food) spicier, tangier, or otherwise…
         76. to perk up 1936–
             to perk up. transitive. To enliven, stimulate; to strengthen, bolster; to restore confidence, health, interest, liveliness, etc., in or to.
         77. to zizz up 1944–
             transitive. To make (something) more lively, exciting, or vibrant; to energize. Cf. zizz, n. B.2, zhuzh, v.
         78. hep 1948–
             transitive. To enliven, pep up (a person or thing). Usually as to hep up.
         79. to zing up 1948–
             transitive. To add energy, enthusiasm, or liveliness to (something); to enliven, invigorate. Cf. zing, n. B.2.
         80. juice 1964–
             To animate, liven up, inspire. slang.
         View in Historical Thesaurus

## Compounds & derived words

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1. zizzing, n. 1884–
   A buzzing or whizzing sound; movement or activity…

1. zizzing, adj. 1919–
   That makes a buzzing or whizzing sound.

zizz, v. was revised in March 2021.

zizz, v. was last modified in July 2023.