buzz cut
/bʌz kʌt/
CommonA haircut where clippers trim all the hair to a uniform, very short length all over the head.
Getting a buzz cut as a woman or person with long hair reads as a bold statement online. For men it is typically read as low-maintenance or athletic.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | I buzzed my own hair last night at 1am and honestly best decision I've made in months. | A spontaneous self-cut felt liberating. | x, 2023 |
| 02 | she got a buzz cut and everyone lost their minds. it's just hair. | People overreacted to a woman cutting her hair very short. | reddit, 2022 |
| 03 | buzz cut summer let's go, tired of dealing with hair | Getting a buzz cut to eliminate hair maintenance for the season. | tiktok, 2024 |
| 04 | his buzz cut was a sign. should've known he was about to go through something. | A dramatic haircut was a signal of a major life change coming. | x, 2023 |
Use it when
- Describing a very short uniform clipper cut.
- Talking about someone who shaved their head very short.
- Describing a dramatic haircut transformation.
Do not use it when
- You mean a completely shaved head with no hair remaining.Use “shaved head” instead.
- You mean short hair with more length on top.Use “pixie-cut” instead.
Buzz cut vs pixie cut
buzz cut
Buzz cut uses clippers for a uniform very short length with no styling.
VS
pixie-cut
Pixie cut keeps more length on top and involves deliberate shaping and styling.
Origin and context
Military hairstyle adopted by civilian culture. The term comes from the buzzing sound of the electric clippers used to cut the hair.
- First seen
- mid-20th century
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/buzz-cutUpdated: 2026-08-29License: CC BY 4.0