boiler

American  

[boi-ler] / ˈbɔɪ lər /

noun

1. a closed vessel or arrangement of vessels and tubes, together with a furnace or other heat source, in which steam or other vapor is generated from water to drive turbines or engines, supply heat, process certain materials, etc.

2. a vessel, as a kettle, for boiling boil boiling or heating.

3. British. a large tub in which laundry is boiled boil or sterilized.

4. a tank in which water is heated and stored, as for supplying hot water.

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boiler British  

/ ˈbɔɪlə /

noun

1. a closed vessel or arrangement of enclosed tubes in which water is heated to supply steam to drive an engine or turbine or provide heat

2. a domestic device burning solid fuel, gas, or oil, to provide hot water, esp for central heating

3. a large tub for boiling laundry

4. a tough old chicken for cooking by boiling

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Other Word Forms

• boilerless adjective

Etymology

Origin of boiler

First recorded in 1530–40; boil ¹ + -er ¹

Example Sentences

On the Chesapeake Bay, market hunters favored punt guns—cannons weighing up to 200 pounds, with barrels made from boiler pipe—that could bring down 100 ducks with one shot.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

Installing one likely involves some new pipework, and often new radiators; it is not something you can just get one day when the gas boiler packs up.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026

He said, as part of the investigation, a boiler had been recovered from the cabin where the teenagers were staying and forensically examined.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

Krauze joined what was then called the Vladimir Lenin shipyard in 1983, first in a coal-fired boiler room and later operating a crane.

From Barron's • Mar. 7, 2026

Father explained that in a locomotive, water is heated in a boiler.

From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman

Related Words

• heater
• heating system
• incinerator
• kiln
• stove