zoom: Meaning and Definition of

zoom

Pronunciation: (zm), [key]
— v.i.
  1. to move quickly or suddenly with a loud humming or buzzing sound: cars zooming by on the freeway.
  2. to fly an airplane suddenly and sharply upward at great speed for a short distance, as in regaining altitude, clearing an obstacle, or signaling.
  3. to bring a subject, scene, etc., into closeup or cause it to recede into a long shot using a zoom lens and while maintaining focus.
  4. to increase or rise suddenly and sharply: Rents would zoom without rent control laws.
—v.t.
  1. to cause (an airplane) to zoom.
  2. to fly over (an obstacle) by zooming.
  3. to zoom in for a look at the injured man; to zoom in on a candidate at a political convention.
    1. to bring (a subject, scene, etc.) into closeup by using a zoom lens:to zoom in for a look at the injured man; to zoom in on a candidate at a political convention.
    2. to examine more closely or in greater detail; focus on:The panel zoomed in on the subject of abortion.
—n.
  1. the act or process of zooming.
  2. a zooming sound.
  3. See
  4. Also calleda shot in which a subject, scene, or action is brought closer or made to recede by the use of a zoom lens.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
See also: