Definition

1. Noun:
   • A short sleep; a nap: A brief period of light sleep, often taken during the day.
   • A buzzing or whizzing sound: A continuous, vibrating, or high-pitched sound, often indicating something is wrong.

Examples

• Noun (Sleep):
  • I'm just going to have a quick zizz before dinner.
  • After lunch, he felt like a zizz would refresh him.
• Noun (Sound):
  • There was an alarming zizz coming from the computer fan.
  • The faulty wire emitted a dangerous zizz.

Advanced Usage

• "to have a zizz": This is the most common collocation for the "sleep" meaning, meaning to take a nap.
  • Grandad's having a zizz in his armchair.
• The word "zizz" is informal and onomatopoeic, imitating the sound of buzzing or the light sound of snoring during a nap.

Variants and Related Words

• Zizz can also be used informally as a verb, meaning to take a nap or to make a buzzing sound.
  • He zizzed for twenty minutes on the sofa. (verb - to nap)
  • The mosquito zizzed past my ear. (verb - to buzz)

Synonyms

• For sleep: nap, catnap, snooze, forty winks, doze.
• For sound: buzz, whizz, hum, drone, hiss.

Related Idioms

• "Catch some zizz": A very informal and playful idiom meaning to get some sleep.
  • I need to go home and catch some zizz.

Noun

1. a nap
   • Arthur's taking a short zizz
2. a buzzing or whizzing sound
   • a nasty zizz in the engine