as in summarizing
to make into a short statement of the main points (as of a report)
the discussion of the problem can be boiled down to a couple of critical points
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Recent Examples of boiling down
Drinks In the drinks department, blueberries are excellent for freezing into ice cubes, infusing into water or tea, or boiling down into a simple syrup, says Hall.
—
Kirsten Nunez, Martha Stewart, 31 Dec. 2025
Paul fears art imitating life by also boiling down to breadline survival strategies.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 29 Aug. 2025
Kirsten Nunez, Martha Stewart, 31 Dec. 2025
Paul fears art imitating life by also boiling down to breadline survival strategies.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boiling down
Verb
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In the days leading up to his sentencing hearing, Harris penned a letter to Judge White, summarizing his life as a tale of obstacles overcome, traumatic experiences and regret.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
12 Jan. 2026
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However, the application must only include a 500-word description of the idea and an informal video that is no longer than three minutes summarizing the idea.—
Angela George,
Sioux Falls Argus Leader,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Windass struggled, the sight of the 31-year-old dropping so deep 10 minutes from time to take the ball off Max Cleworth inside his own half summing up how disjointed the visitors had become.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
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Many Reddit users chimed in to offer their perspective, with one commenter summing up the sentiment shared by many.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Bank Policy Institute, American Bankers Association, Consumer Bankers Association, Financial Services Forum and Independent Community Bankers of America issued a joint statement outlining the negative consequences.—
Luciana Lopez,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
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For example, certain medical and evacuation benefits available via the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card don’t apply for travel to Vietnam, according to a website outlining the card’s benefits.—
Greg Iacurci,
CNBC,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boiling down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boiling%20down. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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