boiling
Americanadjective
-
having reached the boiling point; steaming or bubbling up under the action of heat.
boiling water.
-
fiercely churning or swirling.
the boiling seas.
-
(of anger, rage, etc.) intense; fierce; heated.
adverb
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of boiling
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English; boil 1 + -ing 2
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.
TerraPower will use liquid sodium, which has a higher boiling point and allows operations at lower pressures with a more streamlined design than conventional projects.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
It’s almost like we’re seeing interpersonal deliberations that usually go on behind the curtain boiling over into public talks, which is extraordinarily unusual.
From Slate • Apr. 10, 2026
It’s far easier to sit in the boiling waters of despair until the heat becomes tolerable than it is to try to alter the temperature all on our own.
From Salon • Mar. 14, 2026
Bangladesh launched fuel rationing on Sunday as the war in the Middle East deepened an energy crunch, creating long queues at filling stations and boiling over into anger.
From Barron's • Mar. 8, 2026
A pot of some stinking brew was boiling over a fire.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
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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.