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.
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
“Seems to me like a total own-goal,” says Ms. Worsley, once again boiling the past down to its essence, without belaboring the ironies.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
"My heart is full of courage, my red blood is boiling; my brothers stand with me, this time we will rise," Shah said in his song, over a video of him campaigning for election.
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 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
We immerse the potatoes in pots of boiling water, then set out cilantro, green onions, and spices, plus yogurt and mint bunches for the chutney.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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.
