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.
"You've sold the team - now sell the club," chanted fans at Molineux in October as frustrations reached boiling point.
From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026
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
"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
I begin cooking up some lake vine soup, boiling in a 500 ml beaker.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
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.
