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Synonyms

sizzle

American  
[siz-uhl] / ˈsɪz əl /

verb (used without object)

sizzled, sizzling

  1. to make a hissing sound, as in frying or burning.

    Synonyms:
    hiss, crackle, spatter, sputter

  2. Informal. to be very hot.

    It's sizzling out.

  3. Informal. to be very angry; harbor deep resentment.

    I'm still sizzling over that insult.

verb (used with object)

sizzled, sizzling

  1. to fry or burn with or as if with a hissing sound.

    to sizzle steaks on the grill; The sun sizzles the pavement.

noun

  1. a sizzling sound.

sizzle British  
/ ˈsɪzəl /

verb

  1. to make the hissing sound characteristic of frying fat

  2. informal to be very hot

  3. informal to be very angry

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a hissing sound

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • sizzler noun
  • sizzlingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of sizzle

1595–1605; imitative; -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.

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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.

Let them sizzle lightly in the fat before the crumbs go in; that’s how the spices bloom.

From Salon • Feb. 24, 2026

Still, in the wake of adaptations such as 2012’s “Anna Karenina,” with Keira Knightley, and 2013’s “The Great Gatsby,” with Leonardo DiCaprio, that were all sizzle and flash, “Wuthering Heights” is a worthy throwback.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

Later, the sound of the lake's waves lapping against the side of Luzardo's house competes with the sizzle of hot oil.

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026

But the sizzle soon turned into a fizzle.

From Barron's • Dec. 26, 2025

The smell of the rice boiling, the feel of my knife cutting through a fresh tomato, the sizzle of onions and mustard seed hitting the pan.

From "The Night Diary" by Veera Hiranandani

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.