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
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to make the hissing sound characteristic of frying fat
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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:
Bankers often sell the sizzle, not the steak.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
A heat advisory for much of Southern California aside from the coast expired at 8 p.m. on Sunday, but temperatures on Monday will still sizzle in some areas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
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
Elizabeth's good company and the sizzle of Mr. Darcy make the eight-hour flight across the Atlantic go by in a flash.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
The next day is deep-clean Monday, when First Watch dishwashers scrub coffee urns and the greasy grates where bacon sizzles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026
He also has posted a glut of social media sizzles of book-inspired photo shoots.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026
The perfectly red fillet cut sizzles in the pan, its juices releasing a meaty aroma.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2025
Chicken drumsticks simmer in a sticky sauce; a whole fish sizzles in a frying pan; an unctuous golden curry bubbles.
From New York Times ● Nov. 22, 2023
The room was suddenly quiet except for a few random sparks and sizzles.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
The Lakers sizzled in the third quarter, shooting 76.5% from the field and 71.4% from three-point range.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
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
Their torches sizzled out in the pond of scum they’d just landed in because the floor beneath the overhead grate was slick with a pool of greasy water.
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
I did the same: three dishes for lunch on my own, a whole fried fish in a sweet-tart sauce, braised pork in a clay pot, and tofu in a sizzling skillet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
For many, the smell of charcoal and sizzling meat is the scent of summer.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
He did it with a sizzling, right-footed goal in the 57th minute of LAFC’s 3-0 victory Friday over the Galaxy in the 27th rendition of El Tráfico and the first this year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
But for all of the Stones’ gusto, it’s the cover versions that find them at their sizzling best.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
The word “son” burns like a little fire sizzling my skin.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
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.
