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

As The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski mentioned in his column, Finch’s frustration boiled over after years of disliking the way the defending-champion Oklahoma City Thunder can be officiated in comparison to other teams. —James Jackson, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025

Bring to boiling over medium-high, whisking occasionally; reduce heat to medium. —Holly Riordan, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Dec. 2025

The night before emotions boiled over between him and Durant, Brown was taking in a Colorado Avalanche game at Ball Arena. —Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 21 Dec. 2025

The Jazz attempted a season-high 47 free throws (making 31) and the Lakers' frustration boiled over in the third quarter as Marcus Smart, Hayes and Doncic all received technical fouls. —CBS News, 18 Dec. 2025

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