boil

/ˈbojəl/

• Verb
• to become so hot that bubbles are formed in a liquid and rise to the top
1. Let the water boil.
2. Keep the temperature low enough so the mixture will not boil.
3. a pot of boiling water
4. The kettle (of water) is boiling. = The water in the kettle is boiling.
5. french fries cooked in boiling oil
6. Cook the mixture until the liquid has boiled away. [=until the liquid has gone; until all of the liquid has turned into steam]
• to heat (a liquid or a container with liquid in it) so that bubbles are formed and rise to the top
1. Boil (up) some water.
2. Can you boil a kettle (of water) for tea?
• to cook (something) in water that is boiling
1. Boil the eggs/vegetables.
2. Make sure you boil (up) a lot of potatoes.
3. boiled eggs/potatoes
4. He put some potatoes on to boil. [=he put a pot with potatoes and water in it on the stove and turned the burner on]
5. The pasta is boiling.

• to feel a strong emotion (such as anger)
1. The crowd boiled [=seethed] with anger.
• to become reduced in amount by boiling
1. Let the sauce boil down and thicken.
• to reduce the amount of (a liquid) by boiling it
1. Boil down the sauce so that it thickens.
• to make (something) short or simple by removing the parts that are not important or necessary
1. He was able to boil down [=condense] the report to a brief summary.
• to have (something) as the main or basic part
1. His speech boiled down to [=was basically] a plea for more money.
2. Their objections all boil down to one thing: cost.
3. You can get advice from many sources, but it all boils down to common sense. [=you should be guided by common sense]
• to flow over the side of a container while boiling
1. The water in the pot is boiling over. = The pot (of water) is boiling over.
• to become violent or to lose control because of anger
1. He's so mad that he's ready to boil over.
• to change into something more violent
1. Their disagreement finally boiled over into a fight.
• to grow toward a dangerous level
1. He could feel the anger boiling up inside him. [=he could feel himself becoming very angry]
2. Problems have been boiling up in the cities during the hot summer.
• Noun
• the act or state of boiling
1. (US) Bring the water to a boil. = (chiefly Brit) Bring the water to the boil. [=boil the water]
2. (US) The kettle on the stove came to a boil. = (chiefly Brit) The kettle on the stove came to the boil. [=the kettle began to boil]
3. She put the kettle (of water) on the boil. [=she put the kettle on a hot burner so that the water in it would boil]
4. The mixture should be cooked at a slow boil. [=with small bubbles rising slowly to the surface of the liquid]
5. Bring the pot to a rolling boil. [=to a state where large bubbles rise quickly to the surface of the liquid]
• a dish of shellfish, vegetables, and spices that is cooked by boiling
1. a crab/shrimp boil
• a party at which this dish is served
1. They invited their family and friends to a crab boil on the beach.
• into a state that is less good than before
1. After two hit singles, the band went off the boil. [=the band was not as successful]
• in a state of activity or development
1. The deal is still on the boil.
2. kept their romance on the boil
• a painful, swollen area under the skin that is caused by infection