simmer
Americanverb (used without object)
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to cook or cook in a liquid at or just below the boiling point.
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to make a gentle murmuring sound, as liquids cooking just below the boiling point.
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to be in a state of subdued or restrained activity, development, excitement, anger, etc..
The town simmered with rumors.
verb (used with object)
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to keep (liquid) in a state approaching boiling.
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to cook in a liquid that is kept at or just below the boiling point.
noun
verb phrase
verb
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to cook (food) gently at or just below the boiling point
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(intr) to be about to break out in rage or excitement
noun
Related Words
See boil 1.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of simmer
First recorded in 1645–55; alteration of earlier simper < ?
Explanation
Usually when you're making a soup, you want to bring it to a boil and then let it simmer, cooking it just below the boiling point to get all the flavors to release. The word simmer is usually used to describe the temperature just below boiling or the process of cooking something at that temperature. But it can also be used to describe a feeling that's been simmering or slowly developing over time. It's also a word used to describe suppressed anger — that feeling just before you boil over. Just in case you do boil over, you might need to take a moment to simmer down, a casual expression that means, "Chill out, my friend."
Vocabulary lists containing simmer
Out of the Dust
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Words to Know Before You Defrost the Bird
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Blanch, Poach, and Scald: Cooking Methods
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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.
The lentils simmer in stock — or broth, or water and bouillon — until soft and stewy, and then comes the ingredient that makes the entire recipe sing white American cheese.
From Salon • May 19, 2026
Beneath the cocktails, boat trips and villa life, tensions simmer and emotions rise.
From BBC • May 16, 2026
The summit projected an air of friendship between the world’s two most powerful nations, even as tensions simmer over trade, technology and geopolitical influence.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
Occasionally my therapist would have a delicious-smelling soup on simmer in another part of the house — not a design choice, but a pleasant sensory experience in the background.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026
Moushumi leans over the pan, watching the contents come to a simmer, prodding the pieces of chicken with a wooden spoon.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
