Synonyms

simmer

American

[sim-er] / ˈsɪm ər /

verb (used without object)

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)

to keep (liquid) in a state approaching boiling.
to cook in a liquid that is kept at or just below the boiling point.

noun

the state or process of simmering.

verb phrase

simmer down
1. to reduce in volume by simmering.
2. Slang. to become calm or quiet, as from a state of anger or turmoil.
  
  We waited for the audience to simmer down.

simmer British

/ ˈsɪmə /

verb

to cook (food) gently at or just below the boiling point
(intr) to be about to break out in rage or excitement

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

the act, sound, or state of simmering

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See boil ¹.

Other Word Forms

resimmer verb
simmeringly adverb
unsimmered adjective
unsimmering adjective

Etymology

Origin of simmer

First recorded in 1645–55; alteration of earlier simper < ?

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 earlier disaster may have helped douse a decades-long conflict between Aceh's separatists and the Indonesian government, but a simmering mistrust of Jakarta lingers.

From Barron's

A presumption that there is an undercurrent of simmering rage in day-to-day life has taken hold in ways that might have startled past generations.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I’ll bring everything to a boil and let that simmer until the short ribs are tender,” he says.

From Salon

“With the AI debate still simmering on displacement concerns, we felt the abundance of AI use cases now in production particularly relevant,” Susquehanna analyst James Friedman wrote in a research note.

From Barron's

Sweden skip Niklas Edin raised it with the officials between the second and third ends and the row quietly simmered away as the contest unfolded.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023