noun

fuzz

fuhz

Fuzz (noun) means a soft mass of short, loose hairs or fibres. Example: “The peach was covered in a light fuzz.”

noun

A soft mass of short, loose hairs or fibres.

"The peach was covered in a light fuzz."

"He picked bits of fuzz off his sweater."

A distorted, buzzing sound, especially from an amplified guitar.

"The guitarist added heavy fuzz to the solo."

Informal: the police.

"Someone shouted that the fuzz was coming."

verb

To test software by feeding it large amounts of random or unexpected input to find bugs.

"The security team fuzzed the login form to look for crashes."

How to use fuzz

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA soft, fluffy layer of tiny fibres — or, in slang, the police; in tech, a way of stress-testing software with random input.

When to use it

"The fuzz" for police is dated, informal slang, mostly heard in older films and shows.

Common pairings

a bit of fuzz fuzz pedal fuzz testing

Word forms

fuzzed past tense, fuzzes plural, fuzzes singular

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The peach was covered in a light _____.

Etymology

Origin uncertain — possibly related to a Germanic word for something loose or spongy, or a back-formation from "fuzzy."

Origin: Germanic

Synonyms

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hair bull cop copper pig blur tomentum

Related words

hair receive dirty steal bull cop copper bobby

Rhymes for fuzz

buzz

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Frequently asked questions

What does “fuzz” mean?

The word “fuzz” means a soft mass of short, loose hairs or fibres. In plain terms, a soft, fluffy layer of tiny fibres — or, in slang, the police; in tech, a way of stress-testing software with random input.

How do you pronounce “fuzz”?

“Fuzz” is pronounced fuhz (/fʌz/ in IPA).

How do you use “fuzz” in a sentence?

Here is “fuzz” used in a sentence: “The peach was covered in a light fuzz.”

What part of speech is “fuzz”?

Depending on how it is used, “fuzz” can be a noun and a verb.

Where does the word “fuzz” come from?

The word “fuzz” comes from Germanic. Origin uncertain — possibly related to a Germanic word for something loose or spongy, or a back-formation from "fuzzy.".

How many meanings does “fuzz” have?

“Fuzz” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a soft mass of short, loose hairs or fibres.

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Vocabulary lists that include fuzz:

Words with germanic origins Words that end with Z

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