boil 1 of 2

noun

Definition of boilnext
as in blister
a small, inflamed swelling of the skin the dermatologist lanced the infected boil that had formed on the patient's neck

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boil

2 of 2

verb

ˈbȯi(-ə)l How to pronounce boil (audio)
1
as in to steam
to be excited or emotionally stirred up with anger the passengers were boiling when they found out the flight was delayed yet again

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2
as in to stew
to cook in a liquid heated to the point that it gives off steam boil the potatoes until they are tender before you try to mash them

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3
as in to churn
to be in a state of violent rolling motion the sea boiled and frothed during the storm

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of boil
Noun
Home drinkers with time will follow Sharma’s boil-spices-then-tea-then-milk method for weekend chai. — Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 27 Aug. 2026 Since its recent lows, CrowdStrike shares have more than doubled to all-time highs earlier this month before coming off the boil. — Zev Fima, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026
Verb
Mix yeast, 2 cups flour and salt in large mixing bowl and pour in hot water (not boiling), mixing well. — Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026 Getting that apparently trivial behavior working involved Home Assistant, MQTT, custom software, and more Claude, Codex and ChatGPT tokens than one should reasonably associate with boiling pasta. — New Atlas, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for boil
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boil
  1. blister
  2. steam
  3. stew
  4. churn
  5. pustule
  6. burn
  7. simmer
  8. swirl
Noun
  • After eventually being transferred to a nearby hospital, the resident was diagnosed with sepsis and toxic epidermal necrolysis, a rare and life-threatening skin condition which causes a person’s skin to blister.
    — Matan Josephy, Idaho Statesman, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Cabrera, the veteran starter acquired from the Miami Marlins, is scheduled for a rehab outing at Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday after a blister forced him to the IL.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of blister
Verb
  • Ground meat almost immediately releases its own juices into a warm skillet, causing the meat to steam instead of sear.
    — Kate Williams, AJC.com, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Their crabs are steamed, frozen and packed into boxes to be shipped to Sri Lanka, where workers remove the meat by hand.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of steam
Verb
  • Others are stewed with aromatics and oil to make a riotous take on XO sauce, funky and inky and complex, which gilds the hunks of squash under their corny beurre blanc.
    — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Idda takes an epic approach to unearthing the packed layers of a stewing friendship.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 21 July 2026
Definition of stew
Verb
  • Three hurricanes — Karina, Lowell and Marie — are churning in the Pacific Ocean, a high level of activity that climate scientists say is on brand for El Niño, especially given that this year’s event is likely to become the strongest on record.
    — Denise Chow, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Trains rumble behind the main stadiums, Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong, while planes approaching and departing from La Guardia Airport bring their stomach-churning roars.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of churn
Noun
  • This causes small but often painful red pustules that cluster at the places where the hairstyle is pulling the tightest.
    — Ayren Jackson-Cannady, Allure, 20 Aug. 2026
  • In animals, the bacterium causes pustules and lesions, predominantly in cattle, sheep, and horses.
    — Helen Branswell, STAT, 11 May 2026
Definition of pustule
Verb
  • Jackson’s availability was curbed by red cards at Chelsea — in Bruges, a barge and shirt pull with defender Han-Beom Lee suggested those flickers of fury and confrontation still burn.
    — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • On a cold night in November 2011, in a field outside Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, a gang of thugs stormed a Soviet scientific research institute, beat and humiliated the staff and burned the place to the ground.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of burn
Verb
  • The pasta is impossibly fresh, the ragùs are slow-simmered and soulful, and the veal is so tender that it can be cut with a spoon.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Sep. 2026
  • During Wallace and Shakur’s own rift, Knight and Combs’ own cold war simmered and ran even hotter than many initially believed.
    — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of simmer
Verb
  • Using huge infrared telescopes that can see through that veil of dust, astronomers have been able to watch some of these stars swirling around the black hole.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Bethany Donaphin Head of WNBA league operations As rumors swirled about Engelbert’s enture, insiders around the league have been mentioning Donaphin as a potential replacement.
    — Chantel Jennings, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of swirl

Phrases Containing boil

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bohos
boil
boil down
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Cite this Entry

“Boil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boil. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about boil

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