boil
verb/bɔɪl/
/bɔɪl/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they boil | /bɔɪl/ /bɔɪl/ |
| he / she / it boils | /bɔɪlz/ /bɔɪlz/ |
| past simple boiled | /bɔɪld/ /bɔɪld/ |
| past participle boiled | /bɔɪld/ /bɔɪld/ |
| -ing form boiling | /ˈbɔɪlɪŋ/ /ˈbɔɪlɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive, transitive] 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 something Boil plenty of salted water, then add the spaghetti.
Extra Examples- Boil the water for five minutes to sterilize it.
- Water boils at 100°C.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- furiously
- rapidly
- vigorously
- …
- put something on to
- [intransitive, transitive] when a kettle, pan, etc. boils or when you boil a kettle, etc., it is heated until the water inside it boils
- (British English) The kettle's boiling.
- boil something I'll boil the kettle and make some tea.
- Cover the pot and let it boil gently for 25 minutes.
- + adj. She left the gas on by mistake and the pan boiled dry (= the water boiled until there was none left).
Extra Examples- I'll put the kettle on to boil.
- The kettle's boiled. Do you want some tea?
- Boil a large pan of salted water.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- furiously
- rapidly
- vigorously
- …
- put something on to
- [intransitive, transitive] to cook or wash something in boiling water; to be cooked or washed in boiling water
- She put some potatoes on to boil.
- boil something boiled carrots/cabbage/potatoes
- to boil an egg for somebody
- boil somebody something to boil somebody an egg
Collocations CookingCookingPreparing- prepare a dish/a meal/a menu/dinner/the fish
- weigh out 100g/4oz of sugar/the ingredients
- wash/rinse the lettuce/spinach/watercress
- chop/slice/dice the carrots/onions/potatoes
- peel the carrots/onion/potatoes/garlic/orange
- grate a carrot/the cheese/some nutmeg
- remove/discard the bones/seeds/skin
- blend/combine/mix (together) the flour and water/all the ingredients/the spices
- beat/whisk the cream/eggs/egg whites
- knead/shape/roll (out) the dough
- heat the oil in a frying pan
- preheat/heat the oven/(British English) the grill/(North American English) the broiler
- bring to (British English) the boil/(North American English) a boil
- stir constantly/gently with a wooden spoon
- reduce the heat
- simmer gently for 20 minutes/until reduced by half
- melt the butter/ghee/chocolate/cheese/sugar
- brown the meat for 8–20 minutes
- drain the pasta/the water from the pot/in a colander
- mash the potatoes/banana/avocado
- cook food/fish/meat/rice/pasta/a Persian dish
- bake (a loaf of) bread/a cake/(especially North American English) cookies/(British English) biscuits/a pie/potatoes/fish/scones/muffins
- boil cabbage/potatoes/an egg/water
- fry/deep-fry/stir-fry the chicken/vegetables
- grill meat/steak/chicken/sausages/a hot dog
- roast potatoes/peppers/meat/chicken/lamb
- sauté garlic/mushrooms/onions/potatoes/vegetables
- steam rice/vegetables/spinach/asparagus/dumplings
- toast bread/nuts
- microwave food/popcorn/(British English) a ready meal
- serve in a glass/on a bed of rice/with potatoes
- arrange the slices on a plate/in a layer
- carve the meat/lamb/chicken/turkey
- dress/toss a salad
- dress with/drizzle with olive oil/vinaigrette
- top with a slice of lemon/a scoop of ice cream/whipped cream/syrup
- garnish with a sprig of parsley/fresh basil leaves/lemon wedges/a slice of lime/a twist of orange
- sprinkle with salt/sugar/herbs/parsley/freshly ground black pepper
Extra ExamplesTopics Cooking and eatinga2- She can scarcely boil an egg.
- Boil the beans rapidly for ten minutes.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- furiously
- rapidly
- vigorously
- …
- put something on to
- [intransitive] boil (with something) if you boil with anger, etc. or anger, etc. boils inside you, you are very angry
- He was boiling with rage.
- She wanted to give vent to the fury boiling within her.
Word Originverb Middle English: from Old French boillir, from Latin bullire ‘to bubble’, from bulla ‘bubble’.
Idioms
See boil in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee boil in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishboil the ocean (informal, business)
- to attempt to do something very difficult or impossible
- Don't try to boil the ocean by supporting every device imaginable.
make somebody’s blood boil
- to make somebody extremely angry
- The way he treats his employees really makes my blood boil.
a watched pot never boils
- (saying) used to say that when you are impatient for something to happen, time seems to pass very slowly
Check pronunciation:
boil