boil

[ boil ]

/ bɔɪl /

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See synonyms for: boil / boiled / boiling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to change from a liquid to a gaseous state, producing bubbles of gas that rise to the surface of the liquid, agitating it as they rise.

to reach or be brought to the boiling point: When the water boils, add the meat and cabbage.

to be in an agitated or violent state: The sea boiled in the storm.

to be deeply stirred or upset.

to contain, or be contained in, a liquid that boils: The kettle is boiling. The vegetables are boiling.

verb (used with object)

to cause to boil or to bring to the boiling point: Boil two cups of water.

to cook (something) in boiling water: to boil eggs.

to separate (sugar, salt, etc.) from a solution containing it by boiling off the liquid.

noun

the act or an instance of boiling.

the state or condition of boiling: He brought a kettle of water to a boil.

an area of agitated, swirling, bubbling water, as part of a rapids.

Also called blow .Civil Engineering. an unwanted flow of water and solid matter into an excavation, due to excessive outside water pressure.

Verb Phrases

boil down,

to reduce the quantity of by boiling off liquid.
to shorten; abridge.
to be simplifiable or summarizable as; lead to the conclusion that; point: It all boils down to a clear case of murder.

boil over,

to overflow while boiling or as if while boiling; burst forth; erupt.
to be unable to repress anger, excitement, etc.: Any mention of the incident makes her boil over.

OTHER WORDS FOR boil

3 foam, churn, froth.

4 rage.

See synonyms for boil on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about boil

boil off, Textiles.

to degum (silk).
to remove (sizing, wax, impurities, or the like) from a fabric by subjecting it to a hot scouring solution.

Also boil out .

Origin of boil

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English boillen, boil(e), buile(n), from Old French boillir, buil(l)ir, from Latin bullīre “to bubble, effervesce, boil,” verbal derivative of noun bulla “bubble”

synonym study for boil

4. Boil, seethe, simmer, stew are used figuratively to refer to agitated states of emotion. To boil suggests the state of being very hot with anger or rage: Rage made his blood boil. To seethe is to be deeply stirred, violently agitated, or greatly excited: A mind seething with conflicting ideas. To simmer means to be on the point of bursting out or boiling over: to simmer with curiosity, with anger. To stew is to worry, to be in a restless state of anxiety and excitement: to stew about ( or over ) one's troubles.

Words nearby boil

Bohr theory, bohunk, boi, Boiardo, Boieldieu, boil, boilable, boil away, boil down, Boileau, Boileau-Despréaux

Other definitions for boil (2 of 2)

boil²

[ boil ]

/ bɔɪl /

noun Pathology.

a painful, circumscribed inflammation of the skin or a hair follicle, having a dead, suppurating inner core: usually caused by a staphylococcal infection.

Also called furuncle .

Origin of boil

First recorded before 1000; Middle English bil(e), bul(e), bel(e), Old English bȳle; cognate with German Beule “boil, hump,” akin to Old Norse beyla “hump, swelling”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use boil in a sentence

Fill the pot with warm water so the jars are covered by an inch or two, and bring it to a boil.
How to can your favorite foods without dying|Rachel Feltman|October 13, 2020|Popular-Science
Fill your pot with water until it’s nearly half full, and bring it to a boil.
A Family-Friendly Camp Meal That Everyone Can Help With|Wes Siler|October 1, 2020|Outside Online
Residents of Lake Jackson, where the boy contracted the amoeba after playing at a local water park, are under a boil water advisory.
Brain-eating amoebae are very rare, but warming waters may change that|Kat Eschner|September 29, 2020|Popular-Science
The release says the process should take about two weeks, during which the boil water advisory will remain in place.
Brain-eating amoebae are very rare, but warming waters may change that|Kat Eschner|September 29, 2020|Popular-Science

They are simply a boil on the rectum of humanity and should be treated as such.
Tribute to my American heroes|Brody Levesque|September 17, 2020|Washington Blade
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season liberally with salt.
Make Carla Hall’s Crispy Shallot Green Bean Casserole|Carla Hall|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In conversation, her ideas emerge at a roiling boil that often takes on a momentum of its own.
Daphne Merkin on Lena Dunham, Book Criticism, and Self-Examination|Mindy Farabee|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the string beans.
The Barefoot Contessa’s Tasty Trip to Paris|Ina Garten|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A curse-filled half hour that saw my blood boil as my filing deadline ticked further into the past.
J.K. Rowling Pens the Greatest Horror Story Ever: Dolores Umbridge Was Real|Kevin Fallon|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Businesses are suffering more each day in an area where the rents are extortionate, and the situation could boil over soon.
Hong Kong Between Calm and Chaos|Ben Leung|October 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Still he hung on, drawing himself upward to hook a leg over the very pipe that threatened to boil him alive.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
When the Cave-men first learned to boil water, do you think they would think of boiling food?
The Later Cave-Men|Katharine Elizabeth Dopp
Boil the oil and soap together in a pipkin, and then gradually stir in the sand and lemon-juice.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley
Like a boil, such a horse race as this must burst some day, and it was reaching the acute stage.
Scattergood Baines|Clarence Budington Kelland
Let it boil in the suds for an hour or more, till the lace is clean and white all through.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley

British Dictionary definitions for boil (1 of 2)

boil¹

/ (bɔɪl) /

verb

to change or cause to change from a liquid to a vapour so rapidly that bubbles of vapour are formed copiously in the liquidCompare evaporate

to reach or cause to reach boiling point

to cook or be cooked by the process of boiling

(intr) to bubble and be agitated like something boiling; seethethe ocean was boiling

(intr) to be extremely angry or indignant (esp in the phrase make one's blood boil)she was boiling at his dishonesty

(intr) to contain a boiling liquidthe pot is boiling

noun

the state or action of boiling (esp in the phrases on the boil, off the boil)

Derived forms of boil

boilable, adjective

Word Origin for boil

C13: from Old French boillir, from Latin bullīre to bubble, from bulla a bubble

British Dictionary definitions for boil (2 of 2)

boil²

/ (bɔɪl) /

noun

a red painful swelling with a hard pus-filled core caused by bacterial infection of the skin and subcutaneous tissues, esp at a hair follicleTechnical name: furuncle

Word Origin for boil

Old English bӯle; related to Old Norse beyla swelling, Old High German būlla bladder, Gothic ufbauljan to inflate

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

Scientific definitions for boil

boil

[ boil ]

To change from a liquid to a gaseous state by being heated to the boiling point and being provided with sufficient energy. Boiling is an example of a phase transition.

Other Idioms and Phrases with boil

boil

In addition to the idioms beginning with boil

boil down
boiling point
boil over

also see:

make one's blood boil
watched pot never boils

boil

OTHER WORDS FOR boil

Idioms about boil

Origin of boil

synonym study for boil

Words nearby boil

Other definitions for boil (2 of 2)

Origin of boil

Words related to boil

How to use boil in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for boil (1 of 2)

Derived forms of boil

Word Origin for boil

British Dictionary definitions for boil (2 of 2)

Word Origin for boil

Scientific definitions for boil

Other Idioms and Phrases with boil