Buzzer Meaning
/ˈbʌzə/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounOne who, or that which, buzzes; an insect that buzzes.
nounA device that makes a buzzing sound.
Sentence Examples
Please push the buzzer.
Tom heard the buzzer.
Ziri rang the buzzer and Rima unlocked the door for him.
CEFR Practice Quiz
When the game show contestant answered incorrectly, a loud ____ sounded.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
I pressed the ____ at the front gate and waited for someone to open.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree English buzz Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzijos Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English buzzer From buzz + -er.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"And wants not buzzers to infect his ear / With pestilent speeches of his father's death."
— c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene v]:
"... it left, however, a bee at his ear and an itch to transfer the buzzer's attentions and tease his darling; for she had betrayed herself as right good game."
— 1895, George Meredith, The Amazing Marriage:
"If a train enters the forward section before its description has been transmitted, a "not described" lamp is illuminated on the transmitter, an alarm buzzer is sounded, and the lamp remains alight until a description has been transmitted."
— 1955 March, “Train Describers at Euston”, in Railway Magazine, page 170:
"I flipped my wallet open on her desk and let her look at the buzzer pinned to the flap."
— 1939, Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep, Penguin, published 2011, page 28:
"The pickpocket was a Buzzer. The man who booked a room at a hotel, and went round the rooms of other guests, was a Snoozer."
— 1949, Thomas Burke, The Streets of London Through the Centuries, page 122:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
When the game show contestant answered incorrectly, a loud ____ sounded.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
I pressed the ____ at the front gate and waited for someone to open.