Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To make a continuous low-pitched buzzing or humming sound.
- intransitive verb To move while making such a sound.
- intransitive verb To move rapidly.
- intransitive verb To increase suddenly and dramatically.
- intransitive verb To act or proceed swiftly and energetically.
- intransitive verb To simulate movement rapidly away from or toward a subject using a zoom lens or other optical device.
- intransitive verb Computers To cause text or other graphics in a window or frame to appear larger on the screen.
- intransitive verb To cause to zoom.
- noun The act or sound of zooming.
- noun A zoom lens.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun a humming noise from something moving very fast
- noun a quick
ascent - noun a big
increase - noun an
augmentation of aview as with alens - verb to move fast with a humming noise
- verb to fly an airplane straight up
- verb to move rapidly
- verb to go up sharply
- verb to change the
focal length of azoom lens - verb to manipulate a display so as to magnify or shrink it
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb rise rapidly
- noun the act of rising upward into the air
- verb move with a low humming noise
- verb move along very quickly
- noun a rapid rise
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word zoom.
Examples
-
I did lose the 2x zoom from the Treo, but I gained a flash.
Review: Palm Pre 2009
-
I did lose the 2x zoom from the Treo, but I gained a flash.
Archive 2009-07-01 2009
-
The zoom is WAY better, and it now has a roll button for quick mode changes.
-
Digital zoom is where the optical zoom maxes out and the camera starts doing some questionable CSI-like zoom and enhance nonsense.
Get The Most From Your Point-and-Shoot Camera | Lifehacker Australia 2010
-
Digital zoom is universally terrible, and you want nothing to do with it.
Get The Most From Your Point-and-Shoot Camera | Lifehacker Australia 2010
-
The zoom is WAY better, and it now has a roll button for quick mode changes.
-
Gulp catches all species had a lot of succes with the minnow zoom is great for smallmouth the fluke and lizard
What is the best type of rubber bait - Yum!, Gulp!, Powerbait, or Gary Yamamoto? 2009
-
Gulp catches all species had a lot of succes with the minnow zoom is great for smallmouth the fluke and lizard
What is the best type of rubber bait - Yum!, Gulp!, Powerbait, or Gary Yamamoto? 2009
-
The super zoom is a camera slightly larger than a point and shoot.
-
Optical zoom is where elements in the lens actually move to bring the object closer.
Get The Most From Your Point-and-Shoot Camera | Lifehacker Australia 2010
-
It's cool, but to me, it doesn't eclipse the dolly zoom on Chief Brody during the beach attack in Jaws.
The single greatest dolly zoom in cinematic history Greedy-Vegetable-466 2025
-
The Vertigo effect is an in-camera visual effect created using a dolly zoom. The effect produces a shot in which the foreground remains in the same position while the background either shrinks or grows depending on the direction of the camera movement.
Unforgettable Examples of the Vertigo Effect Kyle DeGuzman 2023
-
As the video explains, there is actually a way to combine a dolly shot with a zoom to create a completely different type of shot: the dolly zoom. As you saw, dolly zoom shots are in a class all their own.
The All-Time Best Dolly Shots in Film Brent Dunham 2025
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.