What does buzzer mean?
A buzzer is a small electromechanical or electronic device that emits a continuous buzzing sound, most familiarly as a doorbell or an intercom signal at a building's entrance. Beyond the doorway, the word plays a prominent role in sport: the buzzer marks the end of a period in basketball and hockey, giving rise to the celebrated "buzzer-beater," a shot released just before the signal sounds. In British quiz culture, particularly on shows like University Challenge, a "buzzer" can also mean an incorrect answer given hastily after pressing the signalling button. Derived from the verb "buzz," which imitates the hum of insects, the word carries connotations of urgency and interruption — a buzzer demands attention. It is a compact, practical piece of everyday vocabulary, equally at home describing domestic hardware and dramatic sporting finales.
nounA device that produces a buzzing sound, especially one used as a signal or doorbell; also, informally, an incorrect answer in a quiz or the person who sounds a buzzer to signal the end of a round or period.
- An electrical signalling device that makes a buzzing sound, used as a doorbell or alarm.
- In sports and games, the signal marking the end of a period of play or a time limit.
- Informally, in quizzes such as University Challenge, a wrong answer given after buzzing in prematurely.
"She pressed the buzzer beside the gate and waited for someone to let her in."
"He buzzed the apartment twice before realising the buzzer was broken."
"The shot left his hands just as the buzzer sounded, and it dropped through for the win."
Standard plural form.
"Each flat in the building had its own buzzer."
The buzzer on your front door and the buzzer that ends a basketball quarter share the same name — and both trace back to the humble bee-like hum of "buzz."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of buzzer
Buzzer derives from the verb "buzz," which appeared in English in the late Middle English period as an imitation of the sound made by bees and other insects; it likely arose partly by imitative formation and partly from older Germanic roots. The agent noun "buzzer" — originally something that buzzes, later applied specifically to electric signalling devices — developed naturally from this verb, with the device sense becoming established in the nineteenth century alongside electric doorbells and telegraph equipment. Its cognates are essentially the other forms and derivatives of "buzz" itself, such as "buzzing" and "buzzed."
Related word forms
How buzzer is actually used
Mostly informal to neutral register. The quiz sense (a wrong answer given while buzzing in) is chiefly British and associated with student quiz shows.
Easily confused with buzzer
"Buzz" is the humming sound itself (or a rumour), while "buzzer" is the device that produces that sound.