boil
/bɔɪl/ IELTSAcademic
verb
If a liquid boils, it becomes hot enough to make bubbles and turn into steam. You can also boil water or food to cook it in hot water.
- The water will boil in two minutes.
- Boil the eggs for ten minutes.
- She boiled some rice for dinner.
noun
A boil is a painful, red lump on the skin that contains pus.
- He had a boil on his neck.
- The boil was very sore.
- She put a warm cloth on the boil.
Adinary Nuance
Boil is the stronger cooking word than heat or warm. Use boil when a liquid reaches bubbling, very hot motion. For food, it means cooking in water, not just making it hot.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- đun sôi
- Spanish
- hervir
- Chinese
- 煮沸
- Japanese
- 沸騰
- Korean
- 끓이다
Etymology
From Old English bēolan, related to Germanic words meaning “to bubble” or “to swell.” The cooking sense became very common in English by the Middle English period.
Common phrases
boil waterbring to a boilboil overhard-boiled egg
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between boil and simmer?
- Boil means hot, fast bubbling. Simmer means gentle bubbling at a lower heat.
- Is boil a common cooking word?
- Yes. It is very common in home cooking, recipes, and instructions.
- Can boil be a noun?
- Yes. A boil can mean a painful skin lump with pus.