simmer
Americanverb (used without object)
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to cook or cook in a liquid at or just below the boiling point.
-
to make a gentle murmuring sound, as liquids cooking just below the boiling point.
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to be in a state of subdued or restrained activity, development, excitement, anger, etc..
The town simmered with rumors.
verb (used with object)
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to keep (liquid) in a state approaching boiling.
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to cook in a liquid that is kept at or just below the boiling point.
noun
verb phrase
verb
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to cook (food) gently at or just below the boiling point
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(intr) to be about to break out in rage or excitement
noun
Synonym Usage
See boil 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have simmeredperfect
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has simmeredperfect 3rd person singular
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are simmeringprogressive
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has been simmeringperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am simmeringprogressive 1st person singular
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is simmeringprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been simmeringperfect progressive
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simmerssingular 3rd person
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simmeringparticiple
Past
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had simmeredperfect
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was simmeringprogressive singular
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simmeredsimple
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simmeredparticiple
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had been simmeringperfect progressive
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were simmeringprogressive plural
Future
Etymology
Origin of simmer
First recorded in 1645–55; alteration of earlier simper < ?
Explanation
Usually when you're making a soup, you want to bring it to a boil and then let it simmer, cooking it just below the boiling point to get all the flavors to release. The word simmer is usually used to describe the temperature just below boiling or the process of cooking something at that temperature. But it can also be used to describe a feeling that's been simmering or slowly developing over time. It's also a word used to describe suppressed anger — that feeling just before you boil over. Just in case you do boil over, you might need to take a moment to simmer down, a casual expression that means, "Chill out, my friend."
Vocabulary lists containing simmer
Out of the Dust
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Words to Know Before You Defrost the Bird
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Blanch, Poach, and Scald: Cooking Methods
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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.
Analysts expect the current cycle to simmer during Micron’s fiscal 2028, which ends in August 2028.
From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026
Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil, add ground chicken and cook until almost browned, then pour in tomato sauce and let everything simmer.
From Salon • May 22, 2026
Beneath the cocktails, boat trips and villa life, tensions simmer and emotions rise.
From BBC • May 16, 2026
The summit projected an air of friendship between the world’s two most powerful nations, even as tensions simmer over trade, technology and geopolitical influence.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
“Keeps other noises down to a simmer so I can hear my T-bone playing in my head.”
From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari
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.
