Meaning & use
buzz kill
Last updated
UK/ˈbʌz ˌkɪl/
US/ˈbʌz ˌkɪl/
Meaning
nouncountable
A person, comment or event that ruins other people's good mood or excitement.
Grammar: Countable: he is a buzz kill; that news was a buzz kill.
Patterns
- be a buzz kill
- something is a buzz kill
Sorry to be a buzz kill, but we have to leave early.
The rainy forecast was a real buzz kill for the picnic.
Nobody wanted to invite him because he was such a buzz kill.
Word forms
| plural | buzz kills |
|---|
Common combinations
- a total buzz kill
- The test announcement was a total buzz kill.
- such a buzz kill
- Don't be such a buzz kill.
- be a buzz kill
- I hate to be a buzz kill, but it's late.
- real buzz kill
- The bad news was a real buzz kill.
Synonyms and how they differ
- killjoy
- A killjoy is a person who spoils fun, and it is a little older and more directly about people.
- party pooper
- Party pooper is more playful and mainly used for people at social events.
- wet blanket
- Wet blanket is an idiom for a gloomy person and is gentler in tone.
- downer
- A downer is a depressing event, and it does not usually mean a person.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: buzz kill or killjoy?
buzz kill vs killjoy
Killjoy is the older word for someone who spoils fun, while buzz kill is more modern and can be a thing.
Practice
I hate to be a ______, but the guests have to leave before midnight.
Choose one answer.
A buzz kill spoils the mood. A crowd-pleaser or show-off would not describe someone ending the party.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “buzz kill”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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