whiz kid

noun

variants or less commonly whizz kid
: a person who is unusually intelligent, clever, or successful especially at an early age

Examples of whiz kid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
During the unending debacle of Vietnam, the public had lost faith in grand ventures dreamed up by whiz kids. — Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 28 July 2025 Crypto whiz kids The crypto world has long been defined by flamboyant and outspoken figures. — Ben Weiss, Fortune, 12 Jan. 2026 Bankman-Fried was once known as a cryptocurrency whiz kid, and his company FTX was valued at $32 billion at its peak. — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 8 June 2026 Her passion for coding led her to sneak into a founders event, schmooze with a billionaire entrepreneur, and get invited to his talk with computer science whiz kids (including Liteplo). — Kyle MacNeill, Wired News, 18 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for whiz kid

Word History

Etymology

whiz entry 3

First Known Use

circa 1942, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of whiz kid was circa 1942

Rhymes for whiz kid

See All Rhymes for whiz kid

Browse Nearby Words

whizgig
whiz kid
whizzer
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Whiz kid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whiz%20kid. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on whiz kid

Nglish: Translation of whiz kid for Spanish Speakers

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