as in summarizes
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 boils down
Ultimately, Brooks’s advice boils down to shifting from self-promotion to service.
—
Preston Fore, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2025
No matter how meritless the lawsuit (for example, the Times suit boils down to simply not liking the coverage), several companies settled in order to curry favor.
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Fit Finding the best T-shirt boils down to finding one that fits well.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
This week boils down to a simple choice.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2025
For Laura, that missing context often boils down to her own unconscious class prejudice.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
What both examples illustrate is how quickly gerrymandering boils down to power.
—Matt Klink, Oc Register, 6 Sep. 2025
Space, the answer boils down to expert curation.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
Creative intervention boils down to simply deciding how to organize the material narratively.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
Preston Fore, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2025
No matter how meritless the lawsuit (for example, the Times suit boils down to simply not liking the coverage), several companies settled in order to curry favor.
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
Fit Finding the best T-shirt boils down to finding one that fits well.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
This week boils down to a simple choice.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2025
For Laura, that missing context often boils down to her own unconscious class prejudice.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
What both examples illustrate is how quickly gerrymandering boils down to power.
—Matt Klink, Oc Register, 6 Sep. 2025
Space, the answer boils down to expert curation.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
Creative intervention boils down to simply deciding how to organize the material narratively.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 4 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boils down
Verb
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The school’s deputy, Amanda (Tracy Ullman), summarizes the situation with a succinct outline of her duties.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
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Saul is the author and founder of the non-partisan, independent newsletter Tangle, which summarizes the best arguments from the right and left on the big political news of the day.—
Isaac Saul,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Working with powerful clients, the docuseries outlines how Hanson was recruited by the dangerous Mexican drug cartel Sinaloa, as his networking skills and people knowledge were of great value to them.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
26 Sep. 2025
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Turnovers are a top priority for the Patriots in theory, with ball security and ball disruption listed as the second item on a sign in their team meeting room that outlines the identity Vrabel wants from his team.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Boils down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boils%20down. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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