boiling point

Save This Word!

See synonyms for boiling point on Thesaurus.com

noun

Physics, Chemistry. the temperature at which the vapor pressure of a liquid is equal to the pressure of the atmosphere on the liquid, equal to 212°F (100°C) for water at sea level. Abbreviation: b.p.

the point beyond which one becomes angry, outraged, or agitated.

the point at which matters reach a crisis.

COMPARE MEANINGS

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

QUIZ

GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!

Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of boiling point

First recorded in 1765–75

Words nearby boiling point

boilerplate, boiler room, boiler suit, boil-in-bag, boiling, boiling point, boiling-water reactor, boil-off, boilover, boil up, boink

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use boiling point in a sentence

“It was just a boiling point for me,” says Bonney, 25, who couldn’t save money after paying his bills— even while living with his parents.
Hourly Workers Are Demanding Better Pay and Benefits—and Getting Them|Alana Semuels|July 22, 2021|Time
He made the calibration process more accurate by simply using the freezing and boiling points of water at sea level—no more salt mixture requiring its own measurements, à la Fahrenheit.
Melting Butter, Poisonous Mushrooms and the Strange History of the Invention of the Thermometer|Phil Jaekl|June 1, 2021|Time
He developed a high-pitched screech like a teakettle announcing its boiling point that was quelled only by leaving the confines of our little house.
My Pandemic Baby Is Pulling Us Out of Our Cozy Cave. But How Will the World See a Disabled Mother Like Me?|Rebekah Taussig|April 28, 2021|Time
In principle we can use the fundamental physics we know to calculate the boiling point of water to immense accuracy—but nobody has done it yet, because the calculation is hard.
The Joy of Condensed Matter - Issue 97: Wonder|John C. Baez|February 24, 2021|Nautilus

Folks over here are sick of it,” said one Senate GOP aide who added that Republicans were “reaching a boiling point with him” as Mnuchin “gives and gives and gives and gets nothing in return.
Senate Republicans fume as Mnuchin gives ground to Pelosi in search of deal|Erica Werner, Jeff Stein|October 22, 2020|Washington Post
The citizens of Stevens Point defeated fluoridation by a healthy margin.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
Deep, situational, and emotional jokes based on what is relevant and has a POINT!
Trolls and Martyrdom: Je Ne Suis Pas Charlie|Arthur Chu|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
To borrow an old right-wing talking point, these people are angry no matter what we do.
Harry Shearer on The Dangerous Business of Satire|Lloyd Grove|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Therefore, it is not possible for any F-35 schedule to include a video data link or infrared pointer at this point.
Pentagon Misfires in Stealth Jet Scandal|Dave Majumdar|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But the most important point I want to make is about what the press does now.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Our Duty Is to Keep Charlie Hebdo Alive|Ayaan Hirsi Ali|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
This is the first and principal point at which we can stanch the wastage of teaching energy that now goes on.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
His also was the intellectual point of view, and the intellectual interest in knowledge and its deductions.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume II of II)|Henry Osborn Taylor
Judged from this point of view only, the elasticity provided by the new law is doubtless adequate.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
That is the only point in which one sees Liszt's sense of his own greatness; otherwise his manner is remarkably unassuming.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
When we speak against one capital vice, we ought to speak against its opposite; the middle betwixt both is the point for virtue.
Pearls of Thought|Maturin M. Ballou

British Dictionary definitions for boiling point

boiling point

noun

the temperature at which a liquid boils at a given pressure, usually atmospheric pressure at sea level; the temperature at which the vapour pressure of a liquid equals the external pressure

informal the condition of being angered or highly excited

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 boiling point

boiling point

[ boi′lĭng ]

The temperature at which a liquid changes to a vapor or gas. This temperature stays the same until all the liquid has vaporized. As the temperature of a liquid rises, the pressure of escaping vapor also rises, and at the boiling point the pressure of the escaping vapor is equal to that exerted on the liquid by the surrounding air, causing bubbles to form. Typically boiling points are measured at sea level. At higher altitudes, where atmospheric pressure is lower, boiling points are lower. The boiling point of water at sea level is 100°C (212°F), while at the top of Mount Everest it is 71°C (159.8°F).

Cultural definitions for boiling point

boiling point

The temperature at which a given material changes from a liquid to a gas. The boiling point is the same temperature as the condensation point. (See phases of matter.)

notes for boiling point

Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit (see also Fahrenheit) or 100 degrees Celsius.

Other Idioms and Phrases with boiling point

boiling point

A climax or crisis; a high degree of fury, excitement, or outrage. For example, The union's disgust with management has reached the boiling point. This metaphoric term alludes to the temperature at which water boils. [Second half of 1700s]

have a low boiling point. Become angry quite readily, as in Don't tease her anymore—she has a low boiling point. This phrase means that it takes less heat than usual for a boiling point to be reached. [First half of 1800s] Also see boil over; make one's blood boil.

boiling point

COMPARE MEANINGS

Origin of boiling point

Words nearby boiling point

Words related to boiling point

How to use boiling point in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for boiling point

Scientific definitions for boiling point

Cultural definitions for boiling point

notes for boiling point

Other Idioms and Phrases with boiling point