sizzle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
sizzles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sizzled,
past participle, past
-
sizzling
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
sizzles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sizzled,
past participle, past
-
sizzling
present participle
noun
-
sizzles
plural
verb
-
to make the hissing sound characteristic of frying fat
-
informal to be very hot
-
informal to be very angry
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
sizzlesimple
-
sizzlessimple
-
have sizzledperfect
-
has sizzledperfect
-
am sizzlingprogressive
-
are sizzlingprogressive
-
is sizzlingprogressive
-
have been sizzlingperfect progressive
-
has been sizzlingperfect progressive
Past
-
sizzledsimple
-
had sizzledperfect
-
was sizzlingprogressive
-
were sizzlingprogressive
-
had been sizzlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sizzle
1595–1605; imitative; see -le
Explanation
When things sizzle, they make a sound like the hissing and popping you hear when you fry food in fat. Drop pieces of bacon in a hot pan and they'll sizzle. A grilled cheese sandwich sizzles in melted butter, and veggie burgers sizzle on a hot grill. You can also use sizzle in a figurative way, when it's so hot that you feel like food in a hot pan: "I'm not going to the pool today, I'll sizzle in the heat." This verb dates from about 1600, and it probably comes from the imitative Middle English sissen.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But you can still watch a sizzle reel of Argentina defeating Egypt and follow Switzerland vs.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
Don’t be afraid of any crackling; cumin seeds should sizzle when fried.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2026
Tuesday’s Google I/O developer conference failed to pack the sizzle that some investors were hoping for.
From MarketWatch ● May 20, 2026
AI “is the sizzle in the restaurant world,” industry reps say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026
Peter heard them sizzle as she pressed them into the hot skillet.
From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker
Recorded in just three days, this album of blues covers sizzles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Produced and directed by Ernst Lubitsch and written by his frequent collaborator Samson Raphaelson, this Paramount picture, running a pert 82 minutes, positively shimmers with wit and sizzles with innuendo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
"The leads are captivating and their chemistry sizzles," he said.
From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2026
In addition to the title number, the album sizzles with hit songs like “Eyes without a Face” and “Flesh for Fantasy.”
From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2024
Watch this, Nick, he says, then dribbles to the center of his backyard and flame throws a banana kick so swift, it basically splits the air, then sizzles right into his doghouse.
From "Booked" by Kwame Alexander
Aromatics are sizzled — onion, garlic, ginger — followed by tomato and warming spices, including cinnamon and smoked chile.
From Salon ● Apr. 3, 2026
Pots clanged and oil sizzled inside the London kitchen of Syrian chef Imad Alarnab, as the former refugee who fled his country's civil war recalled hosting King Charles III.
From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026
Steam rises from snack stands selling noodles and sizzled octopus on sticks on the Chinese side.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2024
His fastball sizzled and his curveball popped eyes, but he failed to command either.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2024
Instantly, the scorched-air smell sizzled up from the spot like an earthborn bolt of lightning, and at the same second the riverbank exploded.
From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker
The smell hits first, garlic and char on skewered meat, chiles brushed over buns, oyster sauce mingling with the syrupy edge of black vinegar on sizzling noodles.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
For many, the smell of charcoal and sizzling meat is the scent of summer.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
But neither those measures nor Friday’s sizzling temperatures stopped fans from gathering in hopes of sneaking a peak at their longtime idol and sending Swift their well wishes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
Hunched over sizzling grills and shrouded in smoke, trainees at the Yueyang Barbecue Academy in southern China roast skewer after skewer of succulent beef tendon, perfecting the skills that could land them a restaurant job.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
I’m rubbing my arm when I hear something popping and sizzling.
From "The Skin I'm In" by Sharon G. Flake
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
