boils 1 of 2

plural of boil
as in blisters
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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boils

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of boil
1
2
as in stews
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 churns
to be in a state of violent rolling motion the sea boiled and frothed during the storm

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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 boils
Noun
Those include fish boils, something usually associated with Wisconsin’s Door County. Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2025 Bathing daily and keeping your buttocks clean and dry can help prevent boils, folliculitis, and other skin conditions. Sherri Gordon, Health, 14 Aug. 2025
Verb
Their eponymous theme sets the tone with a churning brew of twinkling synths and ritualistic percussion, both of which are eventually subsumed into the supernatural (represented by the theremin) before a crash of guitar boils everything together into chaos. David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2025 However, these blemishes are often a skin condition other than acne, such as folliculitis, boils, contact dermatitis, or keratosis pilaris. Sherri Gordon, Health, 14 Aug. 2025 The water boils quickly and makes the mug piping hot in less than a minute. Emily Farris, Bon Appetit Magazine, 11 Aug. 2025 Castillo boils that moment in history down to a few paragraphs that are at once informative and blistering. Sarah Rose Etter, The Atlantic, 6 Aug. 2025 Whereas sunlight boils water for the electrical grid, starlight generates a mere trickle of electricity on large photodiodes that are like the cells of a solar panel. Victoria Corless, Space.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boils
Verb
  • At its heart sits Viti, a striking blue crater lake that steams invitingly in contrast to the stark black landscape.
    David Nikel, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
  • CookingPal’s gadget suggests meals, fetches recipes, chops, stirs, and steams ingredients, and then cleans up after itself.
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 3 Jan. 2020
Verb
  • Beachgoers are being warned to stay off the sand and out of the water as Hurricane Erin churns toward New York, where it is expected to cause dangerous rip currents.
    Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 18 Aug. 2025
  • The buck kicks his feet, churns mud, and slings debris skyward.
    Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 9 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • Larger pimples that contain pus are called pustules.
    Ann Pietrangelo, Verywell Health, 1 Oct. 2024
Verb
  • As war rages in Gaza, violence in the West Bank has intensified as well.
    Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Aug. 2025
  • While the debate rages on, the funerals keep coming.
    For the Carroll County Times, Baltimore Sun, 16 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • In the new movie starring Denzel Washington, the camera rollicks, the edit clips at warp speed, and the sound mix explodes in Lee's coruscating New York — but the primordial ethical conflict at its heart simmers the same.
    EW Staff Published, EW.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • As for this new creation, human clinical trials confirmed the pimples completely disappeared after seven days of treatment, according to the team.
    Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
  • This CeraVe acne cleanser is best for acne-prone skin—a major concern for teens—and helps clear away pimples and blackheads.
    Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 29 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The spark becomes a blaze, and trust between citizens and the military burns with it.
    Eric Chastain, Twin Cities, 7 Sep. 2025
  • As a guy who is simply not built for summer (sweaty, burns easily, refuses to wear shorts), the turning of the calendar to September adds a little lead to my tread, with visions of cider and sweaters dancing in my head.
    James Folta, Literary Hub, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • This is why Dijon’s language works best as sound, not narrative—his rangy, raspy voice seethes and triumphs, mocks and threatens; there’s no world in which his polygonal perspective can be discerned from a lyric sheet.
    Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Boils.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boils. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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