# fizzle

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈfɪzəl/ · frequency rank #52,947

## Definitions
1. To sputter or hiss.
2. To decay or die off to nothing; to burn out; to end less successfully than previously hoped.
3. To fail to generate the expected yield when exploded during testing.

## Etymology
Attested in English since 1525-35. From earlier fysel (“to fart”). Related to fīsa (“to fart”). Compare with Swedish fisa (“to fart (silently)”). See also feist.
It could also come from old Norse: "fise" simply means "blow," like in "blow in the wind." A weather-exposed community in Rogaland, Norway, is called Fister. (In modern language, the verb "fisle" has the same 3 meanings as in English, see below.)

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/fizzle