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

Nikki Bella's String of Bad Luck Perhaps frustration has boiled over, which would explain Bella's sudden change in character. —Fernando Quiles Jr, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2025

Tensions from the summer’s violent clashes between immigration officers and demonstrators continued to boil over this fall in America’s largest cities. —Andy Rose 19 Hr Ago, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025

Bring the water to a rapid boil over high heat. —Maddy Bendgen, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Nov. 2025

But tension from within the sheriff’s office boiled over and reached the public in November 2024, when then-Chief Deputy Kevin Canty resigned, sent McFadden a harsh resignation letter and copied the entire sheriff’s office to the email. —Ryan Oehrli, Charlotte Observer, 7 Nov. 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