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

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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. 2023

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
It was the boiling point of tensions that Nigeria had seen bubble over for years.
The Nigerian Women Who Fight for Democracy|Nina Strochlic|October 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is unpasteurized and unfiltered, and the wort reaches the boiling point but never boils.
Wine Snobs, There’s a Beer for You|Jordan Salcito|April 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Iranian and Hezbollah intervention in Syria this spring has exacerbated the tensions to the boiling point.
Zarqawism Lives: Iraq’s al Qaeda Nightmare Is Back|Bruce Riedel|August 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But it was an unleashing of many tensions…and things came to a boiling point.
Dutch Coronation Celebrations Clouded After Boston Marathon Bombing|Nadette De Visser|April 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The author Malcolm Gladwell defined a tipping point as "the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point."
The End of Male Privilege: Women Fed Up With Bad Behavior|Leslie Bennetts|May 23, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Into this song she weaves all the abuse which long experience tells her will lash her husband up to boiling-point.
The Adventures of Louis de Rougemont|Louis de Rougemont
At the top the water is still 39 from its boiling-point, and even at the bottom it is 19; but at D the deficiency is only 4.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 8|Various
In that of Fahrenheit, which is chiefly used in England, the freezing point of water is 32, and the boiling point 212.
Heads of Lectures on a Course of Experimental Philosophy: Particularly Including Chemistry|Joseph Priestley
When the thermometer was sunk a few inches into the clay, it rose generally to within a few degrees of the boiling point.
The Book of Curiosities|I. Platts
In that of Reaumur, which is chiefly used abroad, the freezing point of water is 0, and the boiling point 80.
Heads of Lectures on a Course of Experimental Philosophy: Particularly Including Chemistry|Joseph Priestley

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