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
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
The most critical portion of the wind to look at is the first third of the bullet’s flight, which boils down to the wind at the shooter’s position.
—John B. Snow, Outdoor Life, 15 Jan. 2026
Healthy cooking often boils down to accessibility and convenience; busy lives can leave people grabbing less nutritious alternatives.
—Virginia Willis, AJC.com, 11 Jan. 2026
In many ways, the backlash boils down to a trust problem.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 16 Dec. 2025
The greatness of her accessory boils down to its size, which wasn’t as Mary Poppins-esque as a tote bag or as squished as a tiny wallet purse.
—Alyssa Grabinski, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025
The reason boils down to semantics.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 7 Nov. 2025
Their anger boils down to preferring that shareholders follow the lead of boards of directors and other corporate managers rather than the analysis of independent third parties.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025
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
The most critical portion of the wind to look at is the first third of the bullet’s flight, which boils down to the wind at the shooter’s position.
—John B. Snow, Outdoor Life, 15 Jan. 2026
Healthy cooking often boils down to accessibility and convenience; busy lives can leave people grabbing less nutritious alternatives.
—Virginia Willis, AJC.com, 11 Jan. 2026
In many ways, the backlash boils down to a trust problem.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 16 Dec. 2025
The greatness of her accessory boils down to its size, which wasn’t as Mary Poppins-esque as a tote bag or as squished as a tiny wallet purse.
—Alyssa Grabinski, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025
The reason boils down to semantics.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 7 Nov. 2025
Their anger boils down to preferring that shareholders follow the lead of boards of directors and other corporate managers rather than the analysis of independent third parties.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boils down
Verb
-
Every month, the agent effectively proactively summarizes their performance to our point of contact.—
Megan Poinski,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
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The Heise, Pearce, Weber (HPW) Labor Market Tightness Index summarizes current wage pressures and forecasts near-term wage inflation based on the quits rate and job vacancies per job seeker.—
Rachel Barber,
USA Today,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The policy, introduced as a first reading, outlines how the district provides mental health education, training, and services on campus.—
Nina Burns,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
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The annual tax break also depends on the accounting method used, which outlines how many years the owner has to recover the cost basis.—
Kate Dore, CFP®, EA,
CNBC,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boils down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boils%20down. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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