zoom

noun

1. 1

   A humming noise from something moving very fast.

   the zoom of traffic

2. 2

   figurativeA quick ascent.

3. 3

   figurativeA big increase.

4. 4

   An augmentation of a view, by varying the focal length of a lens, or digitally.

   What's the zoom like on your camera?

5. 5

   slangA recreational drug comprising a mixture of PCP and cannabis.

verb

1. 1

   To move fast with a humming noise.

   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.

2. 2

   To zoom climb.

3. 3

   To move rapidly.

4. 4

   To go up sharply.

   prices zoomed

5. 5

   To change the focal length of a zoom lens.

6. 6

   To manipulate a display so as to magnify or shrink it.

   to zoom in or zoom out

7. 7

   To check someone out; to investigate someone that one is interested in.

   (Who's zoomin' who?) / Take another look and tell me, baby / (Who's zoomin' who?) / Who's zoomin' who? / (Who's zoomin' who?) / Now the fish jumped off the hook, didn't I, baby? / (Who's zoomin' who?) / Yeah

interjection

1. 1

   Representing a humming sound

   Makowsky was playing the Bassgeige. Zoom... zoom-zoom.... The rest of the orchestra would join in presently.

2. 2

   Suggesting something moving quickly

   I would dance a few light fantastic steps to show which way the wind lay, and zoom! Like a breeze I was on the piano stool and doing a velocity exercise.

3. 3

   Suggesting a sudden change, especially an improvement or an increase

verb

1. 1

   To participate in a video teleconferencing call.

noun

1. 1

   A video teleconferencing call.

   Then, later that day, I logged onto a zoom call and my mother and I set up our yoga mats in the living room, as we had been doing a couple of times a week during the pandemic.

Forms

plural

zooms

past tense

zoomed

past participle

zoomed

present participle

zooming

third person singular

zooms