boil
- 01 A2 Elementary
v.to heat a liquid until it bubbles and starts to turn into steam.
v.to reach the temperature at which a liquid changes into a vapour. Often used intransitively.
Simple“Wait for the water to boil before you add the pasta to the pot.”
In context“At high altitudes, water begins to boil at a lower temperature because the atmospheric pressure is significantly reduced.”
- 02 A2 Elementary
v.to cook food by putting it in very hot, bubbling water.
v.to cook or prepare food by immersion in boiling liquid. Transitive use.
Simple“You should boil the potatoes for twenty minutes until they are soft.”
In context“The chef instructed the apprentice to boil the vegetables briefly to maintain their vibrant colour and crisp texture.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to feel very hot or to be in a place that is too warm.
v.to experience or be characterized by intense heat. Used figuratively in informal contexts.
Simple“I am boiling in this heavy coat; I need to take it off.”
In context“The office was boiling throughout the afternoon because the air conditioning system had failed during the heatwave.”
- 04 B1 Intermediate
n.the point or state when a liquid is bubbling and very hot.
n.the state or process of reaching the boiling point.
Simple“Bring the soup to a boil, then turn down the heat to let it simmer.”
In context“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.”
UsageCommonly used in the phrase 'bring to a boil' or 'come to a boil'.
Synonymsebullition - 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a party or gathering where people cook and eat boiled seafood together.
n.A social gathering, particularly in the Southern United States, centered around the communal boiling and consumption of seafood.
Simple“We are having a shrimp boil in the backyard this Saturday afternoon.”
In context“The annual crawfish boil has become a staple of the community's spring calendar, attracting hundreds of residents to the park.”
- 06 C1 Advanced
n.a painful, red swelling on the skin that is filled with pus.
n.A painful, localized pyogenic infection of the skin, typically originating in a hair follicle.
Simple“The doctor gave him some cream to help heal the boil on his neck.”
In context“The physician determined that the boil was the result of a staphylococcal infection and prescribed a course of antibiotics.”
Synonyms
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.
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.