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

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 Taken together, those trends boiled down to a realization: women—including young women—had assets to protect. Owen Tripp, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2024 The game’s core loop boils down to beginning a seasonal chapter, exploring the area and seeing what the corruption has done, before following Neva’s desire to cleanse the world. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2024 But as any consumer knows, customer satisfaction mostly boils down to instant gratification. Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 14 Oct. 2024 According to Fry, what separates American and British comedy boils down to optimism, with people from the United States having more positivity infused into their comedy. Callum Booth, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for boil down 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'boil down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1723, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of boil down was in 1723

Dictionary Entries Near boil down

Cite this Entry

“Boil down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boil%20down. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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