/ bɔɪl; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
1.
when a liquid boils or when you boil it, it is heated to the point where it forms bubbles and turns to steam or vapour :
[ v ]
The water was bubbling and boiling away.
[ vn ]
Boil plenty of salted water, then add the spaghetti.
2.
when a kettle, pan, etc. boils or when you boil a kettle, etc., it is heated until the water inside it boils :
[ vn ]
I'll boil the kettle and make some tea.
[ v ] ( BrE )
The kettle's boiling.
[ v - adj ]
She left the gas on by mistake and the pan boiled dry (= the water boiled until there was none left) .
3.
to cook or wash sth in boiling water; to be cooked or washed in boiling water :
[ v ]
She put some potatoes on to boil.
[ vn ]
boiled carrots / cabbage
[ vn , vnn ]
to boil an egg for sb
to boil sb an egg
4.
[ v ] if you boil with anger, etc. or anger, etc. boils inside you, you are very angry :
He was boiling with rage.
•
IDIOMS
see blood noun , watch verb
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- boil down | boil sth down
- boil sth down (to sth)
- boil down to sth
- boil over
- boil up
- boil sth up
■ noun
1.
[ sing. ] a period of boiling; the point at which liquid boils :
( BrE )
Bring the soup to the boil , then allow it to simmer for five minutes.
( NAmE )
Bring the soup to a boil .
2.
[ C ] a painful infected swelling under the skin which is full of a thick yellow liquid (called pus )
•
IDIOMS
- off the boil
- on the boil
••
WORD ORIGIN
verb and noun sense 1 Middle English : from Old French boillir , from Latin bullire to bubble, from bulla bubble.
noun sense 2 Old English bӯle , bӯl , of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch buil and German Beule .