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

But in the kitchen, things go awry again when some sauce boils over onto a burner, activating a safety suppression feature that automatically shuts down the appliance for a half-hour. — Jen Chaney, Vulture, 26 June 2026

Ghosn’s name screamed out by shareholder As Nissan executives attempted to reassure investors that the company's latest turnaround plan would restore profitability, frustration boiled over inside the meeting hall. — Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026

Those frustrations could be on the verge of boiling over. — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 24 June 2026

The drama boiled over during the top of the fourth with Arkansas Pride 12 (13U) up to bat with a 7-2 lead on Tulsa Elite NEA (14U). — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 June 2026

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