boil down

verb

boiled down; boiling down; boils down

transitive verb

1

: to reduce in bulk by boiling

2

: condense, summarize

boil down a report

intransitive verb

1

: to undergo reduction in bulk by boiling

2

a

: to be equivalent in summary : amount

his speech boiled down to a plea for more money

b

: to reduce ultimately

your choices boil down to three

Synonyms of boil down

• summarize
• outline

Examples of boil down in a Sentence

the discussion of the problem can be boiled down to a couple of critical points

Recent Examples on the Web

Most incumbents are doing just fine Control of the House and Senate still boils down to a relatively small number of districts, and incumbents who chose to run again almost always win. —Stephen Fowler, NPR, 23 Apr. 2026

The actions boil down to cutting down the amount of plastic being produced, better managing and recycling plastics already in circulation and cleaning up the plastic that gets into the natural environment, Baechler told ABC News. —Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026

The main charges essentially boiled down to whether or not Live Nation and Ticketmaster had monopoly power over various facets of the industry, like the primary ticketing market for major concert venues, or the large amphitheater market. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2026

A lot of it boils down to demand. —Gene Maddaus, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1723, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for boil down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

Kids Definition

boil down

verb

: to reduce or become reduced by or as if by boiling

let the sauce boil down

boil down a report