# boiling

/ˈbɔɪɫɪŋ/ (US) · /bˈɔɪlɪŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/boiling
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. extremely hot weather

adjective · CEFR A2 · Informal

used to describe weather or a room that is uncomfortably hot.

For teachers: denoting weather or ambient conditions of extreme heat. Informal in register when used as a synonym for 'very hot'.

- Can we open a window? It is boiling in this office.
- The commuters huddled under the few patches of shade available on the platform, complaining that the afternoon was absolutely boiling.

Usage: Often used with 'absolutely' rather than 'very' because it is an ungradable adjective.

### 2. at boiling point

adjective · CEFR B1

liquid that has reached the temperature where it turns into steam.

For teachers: referring to a liquid that has reached its boiling point and is actively bubbling and vaporising.

- Be careful with that boiling water when you make the tea.
- The recipe requires you to pour the boiling liquid over the dried fruit and let it steep for at least twenty minutes.

### 3. the process of heating

noun · CEFR B2

the process of heating a liquid until it bubbles and turns to gas.

For teachers: the physical process of rapid vaporisation of a liquid, typically occurring when it is heated to its boiling point.

- The boiling of the water took longer than usual because of the high altitude.
- The rapid boiling of the solvent ensured that the impurities were carried away in the steam, leaving the purified compound behind.

### 4. extremely

adverb · CEFR B1 · Informal

used before 'hot' to mean extremely hot.

For teachers: an intensifier used exclusively with the adjective 'hot'.

- The soup was boiling hot, so I had to wait a few minutes to eat it.
- After hiking all day in the sun, the trekkers were grateful for a dip in the lake, even though the air remained boiling hot.

Usage: Almost exclusively found in the collocation 'boiling hot'.

## Examples

- It is boiling in this room; can we open a window?
- We decided to stay indoors because it was boiling outside and the sun was too strong for a walk.
- The hikers were exhausted after spending the entire afternoon trekking through the boiling desert heat without enough water.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.