buzzkill

American  

[buhz-kil] / ˈbʌzˌkɪl /

Or buzz kill

noun

Slang.

1. a person or thing that spoils the mood or the pleasure of others.

   Enforcement of strict park rules could be a buzzkill for concertgoers.

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buzzkill British  

/ ˈbʌzˌkɪlə, ˈbʌzˌkɪl /

noun

1. slang someone or something that stops people from enjoying themselves

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Etymology

Origin of buzzkill

First recorded in 1990–95; buzz ( def. ) (in the sense “feeling of excitement”) + kill ¹ ( def. ) (in the sense “to spoil”)

Example Sentences

It’s no fun to be a buzzkill with the stock market soaring Wednesday following the announcement of a cease-fire with Iran.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

The biggest buzzkill when planning a big vacation?

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 8, 2025

Believe me, I’m completely aware that I sound like a Scrooge, a buzzkill harping and carping about innocuous movies that are meant to be little more than background noise while people scroll on their phones.

From Salon • Dec. 21, 2024

The defeat was a buzzkill for a Rams team that had rebounded from a 1-4 start to defeat the Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 11, 2024

I scowled—sometimes those guys were a total buzzkill.

From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling