Boil

/bɔɪ(ə)l/ · noun

Meaning

A localized accumulation of pus in the skin, resulting from infection..

Definitions by Sense

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.
3. An instance of boiling.
4. A dish of boiled food, especially seafood.
5. (US) A social event at which people gather to boil and eat food, especially seafood. (Compare a bake or clambake.)
6. (rare, nonstandard) The collective noun for a group of hawks.
7. (archaic) A bubbling.
8. (transitive, of liquids) To heat to the point where it begins to turn into a gas.

Example Sentences

Add the noodles when the water comes to the boil.

Surface water will do, but give it a good boil before drinking it.

a down-home boil with plenty of crab

This is Brad's classic shrimp boil—a recipe he makes for every tailgate party. Brad demands, “Don't use utensils!” INGREDIENTS: Two 6-ounce boxes Old Bay crab/shrimp boil seasoning[…]

CRAWFISH BOIL EN GELÉE (TERRINE OF CRAWFISH) […] For a typical Louisiana shrimp boil, use the recipe for Crawfish Boil (page 28), substituting shrimp for the crawfish […]

a down-home boil at the town hall

Men and boys also learn to cook at the public and semipublic food events at which men are the primary cooks. These include crawfish and seafood boils, family boucheries, and community festivals. For example, at one crab boil I attended, a grandfather and his eight-year-old grandson cooked the second batch of crabs […]. The advent of crawfish farming has expanded the availability of live crawfish beyond the old seasonal limits just described, but few Cajuns in St. Martin Parish have crawfish boils, or eat crawfish in any form, out of season.

The whole live crawfish typically are consumed at home and at crawfish boils and other social events where the crawfish is boiled[…]

Synonyms for boil

Antonyms for boil

Related Words

Word Forms

• boils
• boyl
• boyle
• boiling
• boiled
• boilt

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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