Boil Water Boiling Boiled Bɔɪl Kettle Make Salted

• the water was bubbling and boiling away.
• boil plenty of salted water, then add the spaghetti.
• the kettle's boiling.
• i'll boil the kettle and make some tea.

boil

1. when a liquid boils or when you boil it, it is heated to the point where it forms bubbles and turns to steam or vapour
• The water was bubbling and boiling away.
• Boil plenty of salted water, then add the spaghetti.
2. when a kettle, pan, etc. boils or when you boil a kettle, etc., it is heated until the water inside it boils
• The kettle's boiling.
• I'll boil the kettle and make some tea.
• She left the gas on by mistake and the pan boiled dry (= the water boiled until there was none left).
3. to cook or wash something in boiling water; to be cooked or washed in boiling water
• She put some potatoes on to boil.
• boiled carrots/cabbage
• to boil an egg for somebody
• to boil somebody an egg
4. if you boil with anger, etc. or anger, etc. boils inside you, you are very angry
• See related entries: Anger
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/topic/anger/boil_2
• He was boiling with rage.
• She wanted to give vent to the fury boiling within her.
5. to attempt to do something very difficult or impossible
• Don't try to boil the ocean by supporting every device imaginable.
6. to make somebody extremely angry
• See related entries: Anger
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/topic/anger/boil_2
• The way he treats his employees really makes my blood boil.
7. used to say that when you are impatient for something to happen, time seems to pass very slowly

Extra Examples

• Boil a large pan of salted water.
• Boil the beans rapidly for ten minutes.
• Boil the water for five minutes to sterilize it.
• I’ll boil the kettle and make tea.
• I’ll put the kettle on to boil.
• She can scarcely boil an egg.
• The kettle’s boiled. Do you want some tea?
• Water boils at 100°C

Verb Forms

• present simple I / you / we / they boil
• he / she / it boils
• past simple boiled
• past participle boiled
• -ing form boiling

Word Origin

• verb Middle English: from Old French boillir, from Latin bullire ‘to bubble’, from bulla ‘bubble’.