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
- boilingly adverb
- half-boiling adjective
- nonboiling adjective
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.
"Till then, we are boiling the water for drinking," said the young sailor, who asked to be identified only by his last name, Pereira.
From Barron's • Mar. 20, 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
Videos upon videos of Americans ditching ice water for hot water in the morning, boiling apples into tea, and saying that we have met them “at a very Chinese time” in their lives.
From Slate • Mar. 13, 2026
Advice not to drink tap water without boiling it first remained in place for 54 days for some properties, before it was finally lifted on 8 July.
From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026
“We’re tolerable, sir, I thank you,” replied Grace, lifting the boiling mess carefully on to the hob: “rather snappish, but not ’rageous.”
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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.
