boil over

verb

boiled over; boiling over; boils over

intransitive verb

1

: to overflow while boiling

2

a

: to become violent or lose control because of anger

so frustrated he's ready to boil over

b

: to develop into something more violent

Their disagreement finally boiled over into a fight.

boilover

ˈbȯi(-ə)l-ˌō-vər 

noun

Examples of boil over in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Continue reading ⦠CIVIC BREAKDOWN â Town's entire police force quits after bitter feud with city leaders boils over. — FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026

The country's stock market has severely lagged its European peers this year amid political volatility and social unrest over the cost of living and other issues, which boiled over into mass protests over the weekend. — Sean Conlon,lee Ying Shan,fred Imbert, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026

Fill a large pot about three-quarters full with water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. — Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2026

Meanwhile, return cooking liquid in reserved pot to a boil over high heat. — Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 13 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for boil over

• carryover
• changeover
• crossover
• cutover
• flashover
• hangover
• holdover
• layover
• leftover
• makeover
• moreover
• passover

Kids Definition

boil over

verb

1

: to overflow while boiling

2

: to become so angry as to lose one's temper