boil
/ˈbojəl/
- Verb
- to become so hot that bubbles are formed in a liquid and rise to the top
- Let the water boil.
- Keep the temperature low enough so the mixture will not boil.
- a pot of boiling water
- The kettle (of water) is boiling. = The water in the kettle is boiling.
- french fries cooked in boiling oil
- 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
- Boil (up) some water.
- Can you boil a kettle (of water) for tea?
- to cook (something) in water that is boiling
- Boil the eggs/vegetables.
- Make sure you boil (up) a lot of potatoes.
- boiled eggs/potatoes
- 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]
- The pasta is boiling.
- to feel a strong emotion (such as anger)
- The crowd boiled [=seethed] with anger.
- to become reduced in amount by boiling
- Let the sauce boil down and thicken.
- to reduce the amount of (a liquid) by boiling it
- Boil down the sauce so that it thickens.
- to make (something) short or simple by removing the parts that are not important or necessary
- He was able to boil down [=condense] the report to a brief summary.
- to have (something) as the main or basic part
- His speech boiled down to [=was basically] a plea for more money.
- Their objections all boil down to one thing: cost.
- 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
- 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
- He's so mad that he's ready to boil over.
- to change into something more violent
- Their disagreement finally boiled over into a fight.
- to grow toward a dangerous level
- He could feel the anger boiling up inside him. [=he could feel himself becoming very angry]
- Problems have been boiling up in the cities during the hot summer.
- Noun
- the act or state of boiling
- (US) Bring the water to a boil. = (chiefly Brit) Bring the water to the boil. [=boil the water]
- (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]
- 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]
- The mixture should be cooked at a slow boil. [=with small bubbles rising slowly to the surface of the liquid]
- 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
- a crab/shrimp boil
- a party at which this dish is served
- They invited their family and friends to a crab boil on the beach.
- into a state that is less good than before
- After two hit singles, the band went off the boil. [=the band was not as successful]
- in a state of activity or development
- The deal is still on the boil.
- kept their romance on the boil
- a painful, swollen area under the skin that is caused by infection