boil

boil ¹  (boil)

v. boiled, boil·ing, boils

v.intr.

1.

a. To change from a liquid to a vapor by the application of heat: All the water boiled away and left the kettle dry.

b. To reach the boiling point.

c. To undergo the action of boiling, especially in being cooked.

2. To be in a state of agitation; seethe: a river boiling over the rocks.

3. To be stirred up or greatly excited: The mere idea made me boil.

v.tr.

1.

a. To vaporize (a liquid) by the application of heat.

b. To heat to the boiling point.

2. To cook or clean by boiling.

3. To separate by evaporation in the process of boiling: boil the maple sap.

n.

1. The condition or act of boiling.

2. Lower Southern U.S. A picnic featuring shrimp, crab, or crayfish boiled in large pots with spices, and then shelled and eaten by hand.

3. An agitated, swirling, roiling mass of liquid: "Those tumbling boils show a dissolving bar and a changing channel there" Mark Twain.

Phrasal Verbs:

boil down

1. To reduce in bulk or size by boiling.

2. To condense; summarize: boiled down the complex document.

3. To constitute the equivalent of in summary: The scathing editorial simply boils down to an exercise in partisan politics.

boil over

1. To overflow while boiling.

2. To lose one's temper.

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[Middle English boillen, from Old French boillir, from Latin bullre, from bulla, bubble.]

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boila·ble adj.

Synonyms: boil¹, simmer, seethe, stew
These verbs mean, both literally and figuratively, to stir up or agitate. To boil is to heat a liquid to a temperature at which it bubbles up and gives off vapor: The water boiled in the kettle.
Figuratively boil pertains to intense agitation: She boiled with resentment.
Simmer denotes gentle cooking just at or below the boiling point: Let the stock simmer for a couple of hours.
Figuratively it refers to a state of gentle ferment: Plans were simmering in his mind.
Seethe emphasizes in both senses the turbulence of steady boiling: Water seethed in the cauldron. "The city had ... been seething with discontent" John R. Green.
Stew refers literally to slow boiling and figuratively to a persistent but not violent state of agitation: As the prunes stewed, I stirred them gently. "They don't want a man to fret and stew about his work" William H. Whyte, Jr.

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boil ¹

Verb

1. to change or cause to change from a liquid to a vapour so rapidly that bubbles of vapour are formed in the liquid

2. to reach or cause to reach boiling point

3. to cook or be cooked by the process of boiling

4. to bubble and be agitated like something boiling: the sea was boiling

5. to be extremely angry

Noun

the state or action of boiling

See also boil away, boil down, boil over [Latin bullire to bubble]

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boil ²

Noun

a red painful swelling with a hard pus-filled core caused by infection of the skin [Old English bȳle]

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boil  (boil)

To change from a liquid to a gaseous state by being heated to the boiling point and being provided with sufficient energy. Boiling is an example of a phase transition.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	boil - a painful sore with a hard core filled with pus furuncle gumboil - a boil or abscess on the gums staphylococcal infection - an infection with staphylococcus bacteria; usually marked by abscess formation
	2.	boil - the temperature at which a liquid boils at sea level; "they brought the water to a boil" boiling point temperature - the degree of hotness or coldness of a body or environment (corresponding to its molecular activity)
Verb	1.	boil - come to the boiling point and change from a liquid to vapor; "Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius" change state, turn - undergo a transformation or a change of position or action; "We turned from Socialism to Capitalism"; "The people turned against the President when he stole the election" boil over, overboil - overflow or cause to overflow while boiling; "The milk is boiling over" freeze - change to ice; "The water in the bowl froze"
	2.	boil - immerse or be immersed in a boiling liquid, often for cooking purposes; "boil potatoes"; "boil wool" change - undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature; "She changed completely as she grew older"; "The weather changed last night" overboil - boil excessively; "The peas are overboiled" simmer - boil slowly at low temperature; "simmer the sauce"; "simmering water"
	3.	boil - bring to, or maintain at, the boiling point; "boil this liquid until it evaporates" alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue" decoct - extract the essence of something by boiling it
	4.	boil - be agitated; "the sea was churning in the storm" roil, churn, moil seethe, roll - boil vigorously; "The liquid was seething"; "The water rolled" move - move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion; "He moved his hand slightly to the right"
	5.	boil - be in an agitated emotional state; "The customer was seething with anger" seethe bubble over, spill over, overflow - overflow with a certain feeling; "The children bubbled over with joy"; "My boss was bubbling over with anger" ferment - be in an agitated or excited state; "The Middle East is fermenting"; "Her mind ferments" sizzle - seethe with deep anger or resentment; "She was sizzling with anger" be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer"

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boil ¹

verb 1. simmer, bubble, foam, churn, seethe, fizz, froth, effervesce

verb 2. be furious, storm, rage, rave, fume, be angry, crack up (informal) see red (informal) go ballistic (slang), chiefly U.S. be indignant, fulminate, foam at the mouth (informal) blow a fuse (slang), chiefly U.S. fly off the handle (informal) go off the deep end (informal) wig out (slang) go up the wall (slang)

boil something down reduce, concentrate, precipitate Chemistry thicken, condense, decoct

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boil ²

noun pustule, gathering, swelling, blister, blain, carbuncle, furuncle Pathology

Translations

boil [bɔɪl] vt → cocer [+ eggs]; pasar por agua

vi → hervir

n (MED) → furúnculo, divieso;

to bring to the boil → calentar hasta que hierva;

to come to the (BRIT) or a (US) boil → comenzar a hervir;

boiled egg → huevo pasado por agua;

boiled potatoes → patatas fpl or papas fpl (LAM) cocidas

boil down vi (fig): to boil down to → reducirse a

boil over vi [liquid] → rebosar; [anger, resentment] → llegar al colmo

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boil [bɔɪl] vt → (faire) bouillir

vi → bouillir

n (Med) → furoncle m;

to come to the or (US) a boil → bouillir;

to bring to the or (US) a boil → porter à ébullition

boil down vi (fig);

to boil down to → se réduire or ramener à

boil over vi → déborder

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boil [bɔɪl] vt, vi → kochen

n (Med) → Furunkel nt or m;

to come to the boil (Brit);

to come to a boil (US) → zu kochen anfangen

boil down to vt fus (fig) → hinauslaufen auf +acc

boil over vi → überkochen

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boil [bɔɪl] vt, vi → bollire

n (MED) → foruncolo;

to come to the or (US) a boil → raggiungere l'ebollizione;

to bring to the or (US) a boil → portare a ebollizione;

boiled egg → uovo alla coque;

boiled potatoes → patate fpl bollite or lesse

boil down vi (fig): to boil down to → ridursi a

boil over vi → traboccare (bollendo)