boiling point

noun

1

: the temperature at which a liquid boils

2

a

: the point at which a person becomes uncontrollably angry

b

: the point of crisis : head sense 17b

matters had reached the boiling point

Synonyms of boiling point

• crisis
• crossroad(s)
• breaking point
• head
• flash point

Examples of boiling point in a Sentence

The boiling point of water is 212° Fahrenheit or 100° Celsius.

when the situation reached the boiling point, the President had no choice but to order out the National Guard

Recent Examples on the Web

The sequence was the boiling point of a maddening, inexplicable few days in Minnesota. — Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 19 Aug. 2026

An inning later, things reached a boiling point with the bases loaded. — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2026

As QAnon conspiracy theories took hold with people from around the world and tensions around policies to prevent the spread of Covid reached a boiling point, this previously unknown woman became the unlikely answer some in Canada were searching for. — Zander Sherman, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2026

Kimmie, played by Taylor Polidore Williams, finally levels the playing field with the Bellaire family just as tensions rise to another boiling point. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 28 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1741, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for boiling point

• counterpoint
• disappoint
• multipoint
• needlepoint
• reappoint
• adjoint
• anoint
• appoint
• checkpoint
• conjoint
• disjoint
• endpoint

Kids Definition

boiling point

noun

1

: the temperature at which a liquid boils

2

: the point at which a person becomes uncontrollably angry

3

: the point of crisis

Medical Definition

boiling point

noun

boil·​ing point ˈbȯi-liŋ-ˌpȯint 

: the temperature at which a liquid boils