ENGLISH
REFERENCE

boil

v. · n.
US //ˈbɔɪɫ// UK //bˈɔɪl// boil
  1. 1 liquid turning to gas (v.)
    A2 Elementary Science

    to heat a liquid until it bubbles and starts to turn into steam.

    to reach the temperature at which a liquid changes into a vapour. Often used intransitively.

    Example

    Wait for the water to boil before you add the pasta to the pot.

    Example

    At high altitudes, water begins to boil at a lower temperature because the atmospheric pressure is significantly reduced.
  2. 2 to cook in water (v.)
    A2 Elementary Cooking

    to cook food by putting it in very hot, bubbling water.

    to cook or prepare food by immersion in boiling liquid. Transitive use.

    Example

    You should boil the potatoes for twenty minutes until they are soft.

    Example

    The chef instructed the apprentice to boil the vegetables briefly to maintain their vibrant colour and crisp texture.
Show 4 more sensesShow fewer
  1. 3 to be very hot (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    to feel very hot or to be in a place that is too warm.

    to experience or be characterized by intense heat. Used figuratively in informal contexts.

    Example

    I am boiling in this heavy coat; I need to take it off.

    Example

    The office was boiling throughout the afternoon because the air conditioning system had failed during the heatwave.
  2. 4 the state of boiling (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    the point or state when a liquid is bubbling and very hot.

    the state or process of reaching the boiling point.

    Example

    Bring the soup to a boil, then turn down the heat to let it simmer.

    Example

    Once the mixture reaches a full rolling boil, you must stir it constantly to prevent the sugar from burning at the bottom of the pan.

    Usage

    Commonly used in the phrase 'bring to a boil' or 'come to a boil'.
    • ebullition
  3. 5 a social event (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate American English Informal

    a party or gathering where people cook and eat boiled seafood together.

    A social gathering, particularly in the Southern United States, centered around the communal boiling and consumption of seafood.

    Example

    We are having a shrimp boil in the backyard this Saturday afternoon.

    Example

    The annual crawfish boil has become a staple of the community's spring calendar, attracting hundreds of residents to the park.
  4. 6 a skin infection (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Medicine

    a painful, red swelling on the skin that is filled with pus.

    A painful, localized pyogenic infection of the skin, typically originating in a hair follicle.

    Example

    The doctor gave him some cream to help heal the boil on his neck.

    Example

    The physician determined that the boil was the result of a staphylococcal infection and prescribed a course of antibiotics.
Etymology 1

From Middle English bile, büle (“boil, tumor”), from Old English bȳl, bȳle (“boil, swelling”), from Proto-Germanic būlijō, būlō (“boil”). Akin to Dutch buil (“boil, swelling”), German Beule (“boil, hump”), Icelandic beyla (“swelling, hump”). The expected form is bile; the rounding of the diphthong could be caused by the initial b- and/or by association with etymology 2.

Etymology 2

From Middle English boillen, from Old French boillir (see French bouillir) from Latin bullīre (“to bubble, boil”), from bulla (“bubble”). Displaced native Old English weallan (intransitive) and wiellan (transitive). More at wall, well.

Word family
Idioms4 entries

© 2026 English Reference