boiler

noun

boil·​er ˈbȯi-lər 

1

: one that boils

2

a

: a vessel used for boiling

b

: the part of a steam generator in which water is converted into steam and which consists usually of metal shells and tubes

c

: a tank in which water is heated or hot water is stored

d

chiefly British : furnace

Examples of boiler in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Those preparatory projects included the installation of new capping roofs to weatherproof the buildings for a long period of care and maintenance, as well as the rerouting of electrical supplies and de-planting of boiler equipment. —Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2025

Money pledged by the administration to refurbish older plants will not go very far given that a single boiler component at a plant can cost $25 million to replace, said Nikhil Kumar with GridLab, an energy consulting group. —Jordan Blum, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2025

Because the attack came at the end of the war, and the U-boat had not received orders of any surrender, the sinking of the Eagle was reported as an engineering and boiler failure rather than an escalatory attack from a foreign adversary. —Leanna Renee Hieber, Big Think, 2 Oct. 2025

According to the International Energy Agency, the coefficient of performance (the ratio of electricity in to heat energy out) is about four, making current models 3 to 5 times more energy efficient than gas boilers. —Sara Kiley Watson, Popular Science, 2 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing boiler

• boiler room
• double boiler
• steam boiler

Rhymes for boiler

• broiler
• oiler
• spoiler
• toiler
• reboiler

Kids Definition

boiler

noun

boil·​er ˈbȯi-lər 

1

: a container in which something is boiled

2

: a strong metal container used in making steam

3

: a tank in which water is heated or hot water is stored