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
Cheesy comparisons aside, the reason chefs are responsible for their own knives boils down to subjective preferences and comfort.
—
Wilder Davies, Bon Appetit Magazine, 17 Feb. 2026
Solving a problem on a computer always boils down to transforming numerical inputs, usually written as strings of 0s and 1s, into outputs.
—Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 17 Feb. 2026
It has long been rumored that the choice for where to send the future king boils down to either Eton College, his dad Prince William’s alma mater, or Marlborough College, where his mom Kate Middleton attended.
—Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 28 Jan. 2026
This boils down to how the AI law opts to define AI.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
Like a lot of messy divorces, this started with a wandering eye, a lover scorned and boils down to the money.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026
And the starter voting boils down to the fans (50 percent), the players (25 percent) and the media (25 percent).
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2026
The debate boils down to two conferences, the Big Ten and SEC, that both want to expand but have widely different visions of how far expansion should go.
—Arkansas Online, 19 Jan. 2026
What all this boils down to is that even a laser weapon that's already shooting down hostile drones is streets away from one that's officially part of the armory.
—New Atlas, 17 Jan. 2026
Wilder Davies, Bon Appetit Magazine, 17 Feb. 2026
Solving a problem on a computer always boils down to transforming numerical inputs, usually written as strings of 0s and 1s, into outputs.
—Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 17 Feb. 2026
It has long been rumored that the choice for where to send the future king boils down to either Eton College, his dad Prince William’s alma mater, or Marlborough College, where his mom Kate Middleton attended.
—Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 28 Jan. 2026
This boils down to how the AI law opts to define AI.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
Like a lot of messy divorces, this started with a wandering eye, a lover scorned and boils down to the money.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026
And the starter voting boils down to the fans (50 percent), the players (25 percent) and the media (25 percent).
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2026
The debate boils down to two conferences, the Big Ten and SEC, that both want to expand but have widely different visions of how far expansion should go.
—Arkansas Online, 19 Jan. 2026
What all this boils down to is that even a laser weapon that's already shooting down hostile drones is streets away from one that's officially part of the armory.
—New Atlas, 17 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boils down
Verb
-
With this one line, Julian neatly summarizes the direction Volpe’s film is about to take.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
25 Jan. 2026
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Every month, the agent effectively proactively summarizes their performance to our point of contact.—
Megan Poinski,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The World Gold Council outlines several scenarios.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
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From giving red packets to ensuring your home is properly prepared, CNN outlines the essential do’s and don’ts to help set the tone for a successful year ahead.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boils down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boils%20down. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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