buzzing

Meanings

1. 1adjectivebefore a noun

   Making a continuous low sound like a bee or an electric device.

   Grammar: Comes before the noun it describes: a buzzing phone.

   Patterns

   • a buzzing sound
   • a buzzing insect
   • a buzzing phone

   A buzzing fly kept me awake all night.

   The buzzing noise from the fridge stopped when we closed the door.

   She left her buzzing phone on the table and walked away.

2. 2adjectivebefore a noun

   Full of noisy activity and excitement; very busy.

   Grammar: Used mainly for places, events, or atmospheres, not for individual people.

   Patterns

   • a buzzing city
   • a buzzing atmosphere
   • buzzing with activity

   The market was buzzing with shoppers on Saturday morning.

   After the concert, the whole street was buzzing.

   It's a buzzing little café that's always packed at lunchtime.

3. 3adjectiveafter a verbinformalBritish

   Very excited or full of energy, especially about something happening soon.

   Grammar: Mainly British, informal; often used after 'be' or 'feel': I'm buzzing.

   Patterns

   • be buzzing about something
   • be buzzing for something
   • feel buzzing

   I'm buzzing about the trip next week!

   The team was buzzing after the win.

   She felt buzzing with energy before the race.

4. 4verbintransitive

   The -ing form of 'buzz': making a low continuous sound or moving quickly.

   Grammar: Used in progressive tenses: is buzzing, was buzzing.

   Patterns

   • something is buzzing
   • bees buzzing around

   Bees were buzzing around the flowers.

   The intercom is buzzing; can you answer it?

   A helicopter was buzzing over the city.

Common combinations

buzzing with excitement

The children were buzzing with excitement before the show.

buzzing sound

I could hear a faint buzzing sound from the basement.

buzzing around

Wasps were buzzing around the picnic table.

buzzing in my ears

After the loud concert, there was a buzzing in my ears.

Synonyms and how they differ

humming

Suggests a smoother, more musical continuous sound; buzzing is sharper and more insect-like.

lively

Describes a place with energy but not necessarily noise; buzzing emphasizes sound and activity together.

thrilled

A more standard word for 'very excited'; buzzing in this sense is informal and mainly British.

Opposites

Word family

buzz verb

To make a low continuous sound like a bee.

buzz noun

A low continuous sound, or a feeling of excitement.

buzzer noun

A device that makes a buzzing sound, often as a signal.

Commonly confused: buzzing or busy?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “buzzing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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