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
To potential car buyers, that boils down to off-road.
—
Brooke Crothers, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
The agreement boils down to a branding deal.
—Matt Moret, New York Times, 28 May 2026
When to Call a Professional The decision to contact a pest control provider boils down to personal pest tolerance.
—Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 27 May 2026
Choosing between an induction or electric stovetop boils down to energy efficiency and costs.
—Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 4 May 2026
Protection of the public following the law’s monumental changes boils down to judges.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
Most of the time, experts say, vaguebooking boils down to a plea for attention on the part of the poster.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
A lot of it boils down to demand.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
What this all boils down to is that upgrading the old silos would have been more of a pain than building new ones, so Northrop Grumman and Bechtel were contracted to come up with a prototype replacement, for which the Air Force broke ground on March 27, 2026 in Promontory, Utah.
—David Szondy
april 05, New Atlas, 5 Apr. 2026
Brooke Crothers, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
The agreement boils down to a branding deal.
—Matt Moret, New York Times, 28 May 2026
When to Call a Professional The decision to contact a pest control provider boils down to personal pest tolerance.
—Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 27 May 2026
Choosing between an induction or electric stovetop boils down to energy efficiency and costs.
—Ashlyn Needham, Southern Living, 4 May 2026
Protection of the public following the law’s monumental changes boils down to judges.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
Most of the time, experts say, vaguebooking boils down to a plea for attention on the part of the poster.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2026
A lot of it boils down to demand.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
What this all boils down to is that upgrading the old silos would have been more of a pain than building new ones, so Northrop Grumman and Bechtel were contracted to come up with a prototype replacement, for which the Air Force broke ground on March 27, 2026 in Promontory, Utah.
—David Szondy
april 05, New Atlas, 5 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boils down
Verb
-
The Downshift summarizes news items in a few sentences, with links to other sites to get the deeper story.—
Adam Ismail,
The Drive,
3 June 2026
-
Among those records was the Board of Nursing order, which summarizes a state investigation into nurse anesthetist John Stevenson, who settled the case against him by signing the document in November.—
Brett Kelman,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
The Solana Beach City Council approved a second reading May 27 of an ordinance that outlines the types of structures that are allowed in public spaces used for outdoor dining.—
Luke Harold,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2026
-
If a tie affects the outcome, state law outlines a process for determining the winner.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boils down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boils%20down. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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