Boilover
noun, slang
noun, slang ·Uncommon ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A hazardous situation where an attempt is made to extinguish semi-enclosed oil- or petrochemical-fuelled fire with water, generating steam which propels the burning fuel outwards. countable, uncountable
- 2 A sporting event with an unexpected outcome, especially a horse race where the favourite fails to win. Australia, New-Zealand, countable, slang
"[…] there was not much good horsemanship. The Derby itself was an ordinary race, something of a boilover for Dark Star […]"
Example
More examples"[…] there was not much good horsemanship. The Derby itself was an ordinary race, something of a boilover for Dark Star […]"
Etymology
Deverbal from boil over.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.