boil up Definition

boil¹
verb boiled, boiling

intr
1. Said of a liquid: to change rapidly to a vapour on reaching a temperature known as the boiling point, often with the formation of copious bubbles of vapour within the liquid.
intr
2. Said of a container, eg a kettle: to have contents that are boiling.
3a. To make (a liquid) reach its boiling point rapidly;
3b. To boil the contents of (a container).
tr & intr
4. Said of food: to cook or be cooked by heating in boiling liquid.
5. To bring (a liquid or its container) to a heat at which the liquid boils.

Form: boil something up (sometimes)
tr & intr
6. Said of food: to cook something or be cooked by boiling.
7a. colloq
To be very hot;
Example: It's boiling in the car
Form: be boiling (usually)
7b. colloq
To be extremely angry.
Thesaurus: rage, fume, sputter, rave.
Form: be boiling (usually)
8. To treat something with boiling water, especially to clean it.
intr
9. Said of the sea, etc: to move and bubble violently as if boiling.

noun

1. The act or point of boiling.

Example: Give it a boil for five minutes
Example: Reduce the heat as soon as the liquid reaches the boil
Form: a boil (usually)
Form: the boil

Idiom: come to the boil

To reach boiling point.

colloq
Said of a plan, affair or business deal, etc: to reach a critical point or state.

Idiom: go off the boil

To stop boiling; to fall below boiling point.

colloq
To cease to be active, interested or involved, etc.

Etymology: 13c: from French boillir, from Latin bullire to bubble.

Phrasal Verb: boil away or down

Said of a liquid: to be lost or reduced by boiling.

Phrasal Verb: boil something away or down

To reduce (a liquid) by boiling.

Phrasal Verb: boil down to something

To mean; to have it as the most important part or factor.
Example: It all boils down to a question of cost

Phrasal Verb: boil over

Said of a liquid: to boil and flow over the edge of its container.To speak out angrily.

Phrasal Verb: boil up

Said of a liquid: to reach boiling point (see also verb 3 above).To rise or develop to a dangerous level.