Meanings
nounbuzzer-beater (plural buzzer-beaters)
plural buzzer-beaters · alternative buzzer beater
- idiomaticball gamesA shot that wins (or in some usage, ties) a game at the last possible moment.
The Knicks immediately went 7-0 upon Lin's insertion in the lineup. He dropped 38 against the Lakers and beat Toronto with a buzzer-beater.
2013, Pete Birle, On the Hardwood: New York Knicks, MVP Books, →ISBN, page 40
Origin
In the sense of beating out the buzzer which ends a game.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Japanese ブザービーター
- ブザービーター (buzā bītā)Translations
Korean 버저비터
- 버저비터 (beojeobiteo)Translations
Cite this entry
APA
buzzer-beater. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/buzzer-beater
MLA
“buzzer-beater.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/buzzer-beater. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “buzzer-beater,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/buzzer-beater.
Source: buzzer-beater on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.