simmer
Americanverb (used without object)
-
simmers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
simmered,
past participle, past
-
simmering
present participle
-
to cook or cook in a liquid at or just below the boiling point.
-
to make a gentle murmuring sound, as liquids cooking just below the boiling point.
-
to be in a state of subdued or restrained activity, development, excitement, anger, etc..
The town simmered with rumors.
verb (used with object)
-
simmers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
simmered,
past participle, past
-
simmering
present participle
-
to keep (liquid) in a state approaching boiling.
-
to cook in a liquid that is kept at or just below the boiling point.
noun
-
simmers
plural
verb phrase
verb
-
to cook (food) gently at or just below the boiling point
-
(intr) to be about to break out in rage or excitement
noun
Synonym Usage
See boil 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
simmersimple
-
simmerssimple
-
have simmeredperfect
-
has simmeredperfect
-
am simmeringprogressive
-
are simmeringprogressive
-
is simmeringprogressive
-
have been simmeringperfect progressive
-
has been simmeringperfect progressive
Past
-
simmeredsimple
-
had simmeredperfect
-
was simmeringprogressive
-
were simmeringprogressive
-
had been simmeringperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
Analysts expect few breakthroughs as trade tensions simmer.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
Mr. Spector sketches with subtlety the relationships that simmer beneath the surface of the chatty, sharp and—it must be admitted—sometimes exhaustingly digressive dialogue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
Analysts expect the current cycle to simmer during Micron’s fiscal 2028, which ends in August 2028.
From MarketWatch ● May 27, 2026
Season with a few pinches of salt and black pepper, then bring to a simmer.
From Salon ● May 19, 2026
And when they get stuck inside me, they simmer and boil.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
James finds the gas on in the kitchen, although Lou insists she turned it off, and tension simmers between them when James suggests that maybe she forgot because of her medication.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Chandler flexes the charisma that made his “Friday Night Lights” father figure Coach Taylor such an indelible figure, while Pierre’s buttoned-down smolder slowly simmers the tension between them.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
The forecast for inflation was also raised, but the Fed still thinks prices will increase less than 3% in 2026, assuming the conflict with Iran simmers down.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 24, 2026
Garlic simmers in huge metal pots heated over open wood fires and set up in a long line.
From BBC ● Nov. 23, 2025
Stew simmers on the stove, and the TV is on.
From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari
Since 2004, a low-level conflict has simmered in the southernmost provinces of Buddhist-majority Thailand, as rebels in the Muslim-majority region battle for greater autonomy.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Oil prices rose as Middle East tensions simmered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
But the real addition was a can of chickpeas, aquafaba and all, simmered alongside the Arborio until the beans softened and thickened the pot into something deeply creamy and comforting.
From Salon ● May 12, 2026
Meaning: Do you want your dish smothered in sauce made from roasted green chiles, or a simmered counterpart fashioned from dried red chile pods?
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
Just stewed and simmered, lurking beneath the lid of false security I’d dropped on top of it.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
The long simmering conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni militant group flared into renewed war over the summer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
I frosted the cake with a Swiss meringue buttercream that required bringing egg whites and sugar together over a pot of simmering water and then whisking it into stiff peaks.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026
In a district that is the third-youngest in population in the country, the simmering uncertainty among Gen Z and millennial voters in particular could affect turnout or results.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
Mix together a beloved film simmering for decades, a sprinkling of social media hype and a generous glug of star power and you just might conjure up the long-awaited sequel to Practical Magic.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
On the ninth day, Donal MacGregor stood at a simmering tank.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
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.
