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PlainSpell

zoom

/zuːm/noun, verb, interjection

zoom is spelled Z-O-O-M: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 6.8 times per million words in written English, the 9,165th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, zoom means “A humming noise from something moving very fast” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of zoom is zooms.

How many letters and syllables are in zoom?

Letters4: Z-O-O-M
Syllables1 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing6.8 times per million words; the 9,165th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Same letters

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is zoom?

Zoom appears 6.8 times per million words in written English, the 9,165th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce zoom?

  • /zuːm/

Zoom has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-zoom.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with zoom?

No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as zoom.

Spelled with the same letters in another order: mozo.

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of zoom

  • zooms plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • zooming participle, present
  • zoomed participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does zoom mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    A humming noise from something moving very fast.

    the zoom of traffic

  2. 2

    A quick ascent.

  3. 3

    A 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.

  6. 6

    A video teleconferencing call.

verb

  1. 1

    To move fast with a humming noise.

    We zoomed along the highway.

  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.

  8. 8

    To participate in a video teleconferencing call.

interjection

  1. 1

    Representing a humming sound

  2. 2

    Suggesting something moving quickly

  3. 3

    Suggesting a sudden change, especially an improvement or an increase

verb

as Zoom
  1. 1

    To communicate with someone using the Zoom videoconferencing software.

  2. 2

    Alternative form of zoom (“to participate in a video teleconferencing call”).

noun

as Zoom
  1. 1

    A videoconference using Zoom.

    I have two Zooms tomorrow: one in the morning and another at noon.

  2. 2

    Alternative form of zoom (“a video teleconference call.”).

  3. 3

    informalA video teleconference service or website.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

How do you abbreviate zoom?

Wiktionary records one abbreviation of zoom: PTZ.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Zoom in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchvrombissement, sifflement (humming noise from something moving very fast), cabrer (to fly an airplane straight up)
GermanBrummen, brummendes Geräusch (humming noise from something moving very fast), schneller Aufstieg (quick ascent), Vergrößerung (big increase), schwirren, surren (to move very fast with a humming noise)
Portuguesezumbido (humming noise from something moving very fast), zumbir (to move very fast with a humming noise), zoom (augmentation of a view), dar zoom (to change the focal length of a zoom lens)
Spanishzumbido (humming noise from something moving very fast), zumbar (to move very fast with a humming noise), zoom, aumento (augmentation of a view)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does zoom come from?

Uncertain. The verb was first attested c. 1892, as a noun in 1918 and as an interjection in 1942. Apparently related to Scots soom (“to buzz, hum”), dialectal English and Scots soom, swoom, sweem (“to spin or twirl at high speed”). Compare also dialectal English sweem (“to swoon, become dizzy or faint”).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after zoom