Definition of parboilnext
as in to boil
to cook in a liquid heated to the point that it gives off steam parboil a lobster

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 parboil For a simpler approach to preparing Brussels sprouts, skip parboiling and move straight to roasting. Maddy Bendgen, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Nov. 2025 It can be used on any vegetable that can be parboiled. CBS News, 21 Nov. 2025 However, unlike death cap mushrooms and destroying angels, many of the toxins found in Amanita muscaria are water-soluble and can be removed by parboiling them prior to cooking or by other means. Matt Kasson, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2025 All was topped with juicy (not chewy) shrimp, parboiled pieces of asparagus, and a blend of five Italian cheeses. Betty Gold Kider, Bon Appetit Magazine, 4 Aug. 2025 Shortly after Thomas More, a leading statesman and longtime friend of Henry VIII, was executed on July 6, 1535, his head was parboiled and tarred, then stuck on a spike on London Bridge as a warning not to defy the king. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 July 2025 The veggies are parboiled until bright green and tender-crisp. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 22 Feb. 2024 The mottled beans that are parboiled and salted, the toxic pokeweed cooked into tasty greens, the dumplings wrapped in hickory leaves and tied with stalks of rush — these, like the milkies, are meant to be shared. Jacey Fortin Mike Belleme, New York Times, 21 Oct. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parboil
boil
Verb
  • They’re boiled and rolled in breadcrumbs browned in butter, topped with powdered sugar, and served warm.
    Irv Erdos, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Freeze extra for later, sans any pasta, which is better when freshly boiled.
    Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 6 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Parboil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parboil. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.

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