boil down

verb

boiled down; boiling down; boils down

transitive verb

1

: to reduce in bulk by boiling

2

: condense, summarize

boil down a report

intransitive verb

1

: to undergo reduction in bulk by boiling

2

a

: to be equivalent in summary : amount

his speech boiled down to a plea for more money

b

: to reduce ultimately

your choices boil down to three

Synonyms

• summarize
• outline

Examples of boil down in a Sentence

the discussion of the problem can be boiled down to a couple of critical points

Recent Examples on the Web

What both examples illustrate is how quickly gerrymandering boils down to power. —Matt Klink, Oc Register, 6 Sep. 2025

Space, the answer boils down to expert curation. —Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025

Creative intervention boils down to simply deciding how to organize the material narratively. —Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025

If Bourdain’s ultimate legacy boils down to encouraging generations to see more of the world, that’s not exactly a bad thing. —Tres Dean, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1723, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for boil down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

Kids Definition

boil down

verb

: to reduce or become reduced by or as if by boiling

let the sauce boil down

boil down a report