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

• breaking point
• clutch
• conjuncture
• crisis
• crossroad(s)
• crunch
• crunch time
• Dunkirk
• emergency
• exigency
• extremity
• flash point
• head
• juncture
• tinderbox
• zero hour

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

Pham was born in Vietnam in 1967 as the war reached a boiling point, and his family repeatedly tried to flee the country. —Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 May 2025

When Homa tossed that club on Sunday, the mini fit of rage made for a kitschy little video clip of a player reaching a boiling point. —Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 21 May 2025

Their animosity reaches a boiling point until Walter confronts Reed, triggering an unexpected deeper connection — Walter starts to believe Reed is innocent. —Alex Ritman, Variety, 7 May 2025

Their relationship reportedly came to a boiling point when Gacy was 20 years old. —Andrew Nodell, People.com, 9 May 2025

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