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

Differences reached a boiling point in March 2022, when the Storm Water Management Board ordered an administrative hearing. —Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 17 June 2025

Microsoft — Shares fell nearly 1% after The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar, reported tensions between Microsoft and OpenAI over their AI partnership have reached a boiling point. —Pia Singh, CNBC, 17 June 2025

Viewers witnessed the fallout in Episode 13, as the tension between Huda and Jeremiah reached a boiling point. —Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025

OpenAI and Microsoft tensions reach a boiling point. —Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 17 June 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