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 of boil down

• 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

This boils down to how the AI law opts to define AI. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026

This could boil down to Sam Darnold versus Matthew Stafford. —Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2026

Like a lot of messy divorces, this started with a wandering eye, a lover scorned and boils down to the money. —Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026

The debate boils down to two conferences, the Big Ten and SEC, that both want to expand but have widely different visions of how far expansion should go. —Arkansas Online, 19 Jan. 2026

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