- to change from a liquid to a gaseous state, producing bubbles of gas that rise to the surface of the liquid, agitating it as they rise: Water boils at 100°C.
- to reach or be brought to the boiling point: When the water boils, add the meat and cabbage.
- to be in an agitated or violent state: The sea boiled in the storm.
- to be deeply stirred or upset: I didn’t dare open my mouth, as I was boiling with rage.
- to contain, or be contained in, a liquid that boils: The kettle is boiling.The vegetables are boiling.
- to cause to boil or to bring to the boiling point: Boil two cups of water.
- to cook (something) in boiling water: Don’t boil the eggs too long if you want soft yolks.
- to separate (sugar, salt, etc.) from a solution containing it by boiling off the liquid: A basic candy can be made by simply boiling sugar in a pan.
- the act, state, or condition of boiling:He brought a kettle of water to a boil.
- a social event at which food is cooked in boiling water: We celebrated harvest and the end of summer with a corn boil in the backyard.A jam-packed frosh week kicks off with a crawfish boil and outdoor concert.
- an area of agitated, swirling, bubbling water, such as part of a rapids: My flashlight beam shone on the boil of the river as it beat against the bridge’s foundations.
- an unwanted flow of water and solid matter into an excavation, due to excessive outside water pressure.
- boil down,
- to reduce the quantity of by boiling off liquid: Boil the sauce down till it just covers the cutlets.
- to shorten; abridge: I think you could boil this lengthy essay down to a couple of pages.
- to be simplifiable or summarizable as; lead to the conclusion that; point: It all boils down to a basic lack of respect for their employees.
- boil off,
- to remove or be removed by evaporation, as through boiling: The alcohol in this rum cake boils off in baking.Maple syrup is made by boiling off the excess water from the sap.
- to degum (silk).
- to remove (sizing, wax, impurities, or the like) from a fabric by subjecting it to a hot scouring solution.
- boil out,
- to clear deposits of calcium, minerals, etc., from (a vehicle’s radiator) by immersing it in boiling water for a time.
- to eliminate by or as if by boiling: Unlike the germs in your drinking water, lead can't be boiled out.The events in the stories have had most of their specialness boiled out by decades of repetition.
- boil off.
- boil over,
- to overflow while boiling or as if while boiling; burst forth; erupt: Your soup boiled over and made a mess on the stove.
- to be unable to suppress anger, excitement, etc.: Any mention of the incident makes her boil over.
- a painful, circumscribed inflammation of the skin or a hair follicle, having a dead, suppurating inner core: usually caused by a staphylococcal infection.
- to change or cause to change from a liquid to a vapour so rapidly that bubbles of vapour are formed copiously in the liquid
- to reach or cause to reach boiling point
- to cook or be cooked by the process of boiling
- to bubble and be agitated like something boiling; seethe
- to be extremely angry or indignant (esp in the phrase make one's blood boil)
- to contain a boiling liquid
- the state or action of boiling (esp in the phrases on the boil, off the boil)
- a red painful swelling with a hard pus-filled core caused by bacterial infection of the skin and subcutaneous tissues, esp at a hair follicle
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