What does "boil" mean?
A localized accumulation of pus in the skin, resulting from infection.
Boil
/bɔɪ(ə)l/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A localized accumulation of pus in the skin, resulting from infection.
- Grammar: boil is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: furuncle, abscess, agitation, anger.
- Useful contrasts: charbroiled, roasted, barbecue.
- Usage evidence: Parents who beat their children really make my blood boil.
How to use "boil"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "boil" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "boil" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "boil" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "boil" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "boil" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "furuncle" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "boil", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A localized accumulation of pus in the skin, resulting from infection.
- 2 The point at which fluid begins to change to a vapour; the boiling point.
"Add the noodles when the water comes to the boil."
- 3 the temperature at which a liquid boils at sea level wordnet
- 4 An instance of boiling.
"Surface water will do, but give it a good boil before drinking it."
- 5 a painful sore with a hard core filled with pus wordnet
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 A dish of boiled food, especially seafood.
"a down-home boil with plenty of crab"
- 7 A social event at which people gather to boil and eat food, especially seafood. (Compare a bake or clambake.) US
"a down-home boil at the town hall"
- 8 The collective noun for a group of hawks. nonstandard, rare
- 9 A bubbling. archaic
"He swam to the place where Mary disappeared but there was neither boil nor gurgle on the water, nor even a bell of departing breath, to mark the place where his beloved had sunk."
Verb
- 1 To heat to the point where it begins to turn into a gas. transitive
"Boil some water in a pan."
- 2 immerse or be immersed in a boiling liquid, often for cooking purposes wordnet
- 3 To cook in boiling water. ambitransitive
"Boil the eggs for three minutes."
- 4 bring to, or maintain at, the boiling point wordnet
- 5 To begin to turn into a gas, seethe. intransitive
"Pure water boils at 100 degrees Celsius."
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 come to the boiling point and change from a liquid to vapor wordnet
- 7 To bring to a boil, to heat so as to cause the contents to boil. UK, informal, transitive
"'I'll boil the kettle,' he said."
- 8 be in an agitated emotional state wordnet
- 9 To be uncomfortably hot. informal, intransitive
"It’s boiling outside!"
- 10 be agitated wordnet
- 11 To feel uncomfortably hot. informal, intransitive
"I’m boiling in here – could you open the window?"
- 12 To form, or separate, by boiling or evaporation. transitive
"to boil sugar or salt"
- 13 To steep or soak in warm water. obsolete
"To try whether seeds be old or new, the sense cannot inform; but if you boil them in water, the new seeds will sprout sooner."
- 14 To be agitated like boiling water; to bubble; to effervesce. intransitive
"the boiling waves of the sea"
- 15 To be moved or excited with passion; to be hot or fervid.
"His blood boils with anger."
Antonyms
Example
"Parents who beat their children really make my blood boil."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "boil"?
Common synonyms include: furuncle, abscess, agitation, anger, antisepticize, aposteme.
How do you use "boil" in a sentence?
Parents who beat their children really make my blood boil.
How do you pronounce "boil"?
Pronounced /bɔɪ(ə)l/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English bile, büle (“boil, tumor”), from Old English bȳl, bȳle (“boil, swelling”), from Proto-Germanic *būlijō, *būlō (“boil”). Akin to Dutch buil (“boil, swelling”), German Beule (“boil, hump”), Icelandic beyla (“swelling, hump”). The expected form is bile; the rounding of the diphthong could be caused by the initial b- and/or by association with etymology 2.
Etymology 2
From Middle English boillen, from Old French boillir (see French bouillir) from Latin bullīre (“to bubble, boil”), from bulla (“bubble”). Displaced native Old English weallan (intransitive) and wiellan (transitive). More at wall, well.