zzz.

n.  a typical sound made by a baby attempting to talk, as discussed in Wonder Weeks: How to Turn Your Baby’s 8 Great Fussy Phases into Magical Leaps Forward by Hetty Vanderijt.


n.  the buzz of a vibrating tattooing needle; see also zzzz.

<The needle vibrated and as it hit McKenzie’s flesh, it made a zzz sound.  A shock went down McKenzie’s spine, a shock that he later said “scared the hell out of me.”  —Stacey Longval, “Senior Gets Fifth Tattoo,” Crimson Review.>

n.  the buzzing of a neon sign.

<Driving by, it flashed from the corner of our eye—a neon sign, something with a “zzz” sound.  —“Best African Art and Jewelry,” Baltimore City Paper.>

n.  the high-pitched buzz of a computer networking router (DSLreports.com).


n.  the hiss of audio distortion, as described by Dennis Hartwick in “Me, Myself, My System,” SoundStage! Magazine.


n.  the howling of a strong wind.

<According to the next day’s news, the winds reached 75 mph on the ground, and we were on a mountain.  Around 1 AM there was a ZZZ sound, and the bottom of the door flap was open.  Wind swelled up the tent like a box kite.  —Douglas J. Shaw, “Doug and Laurel Go West.”>

Zzz.

n.  the name of a character with glowing yellow eyes in the novel The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury.

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