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

The greatness of her accessory boils down to its size, which wasn’t as Mary Poppins-esque as a tote bag or as squished as a tiny wallet purse. —Alyssa Grabinski, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025

The reason boils down to semantics. —Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 7 Nov. 2025

Earlier in the three-stage judging system, a longlist of 465 eligible albums was boiled down to 50 nominees, focusing on creative merit over mainstream popularity. —Lars Brandle, Billboard, 6 Nov. 2025

The difficult truth is that hurricanes are complex beasts, inherently difficult to boil down into a single number. —Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 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