2026

Quiz

//kwɪz//

Definitions

1
An odd, puzzling or absurd person or thing.
I've always heard he was a quiz, says another, or a quoz, or some such word ; but I did not know he was such a book-worm.
2
One who questions or interrogates; a prying person.
3
A competition in the answering of questions.
We came second in the pub quiz.

1
To hoax; to chaff or mock with pretended seriousness of discourse; to make sport of, as by obscure questions.
he quizzed unmercifully all the men in the room—
2
To peer at; to eye suspiciously or mockingly.

Word Origin

Attested since the 1780s, of unknown origin. * The Century Dictionary suggests it was originally applied to a popular toy, from a dialectal variant of whiz. * The Random House Dictionary suggests the ...

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Quiz

//kwɪz//

Definitions

nounquizzes

1
An odd, puzzling or absurd person or thing.
I've always heard he was a quiz, says another, or a quoz, or some such word ; but I did not know he was such a book-worm.
2
One who questions or interrogates; a prying person.
3
A competition in the answering of questions.
We came second in the pub quiz.

verbquizzes · quizzing · quizzed

1
To hoax; to chaff or mock with pretended seriousness of discourse; to make sport of, as by obscure questions.
he quizzed unmercifully all the men in the room—
2
To peer at; to eye suspiciously or mockingly.

Word Origin

Attested since the 1780s, of unknown origin. * The Century Dictionary suggests it was originally applied to a popular toy, from a dialectal variant of whiz. * The Random House Dictionary suggests the ...

Explore more words in the dictionaryWord of the Day

Translations

Select a language to see translations

3

To question (someone) closely, to interrogate.

He quizzed the suspect for around half an hour.