Definition of 'boil down'

Word Frequency

boil down

phrasal verb

When you boil down a liquid or food, or when it boils down, it is boiled until there is less of it because some of the water in it has changed into steam or vapour.

He boils down the sauce and uses what's left. [VERB PARTICLE noun]

This may seem a large quantity of mushrooms, but they do boil down considerably. [VERB PARTICLE]

boil

Word Frequency

boil down in British

verb (adverb)

to reduce or be reduced in quantity and usually altered in consistency by boiling

to boil a liquid down to a thick glue

2. boil down to

Word Frequency

boil down in American

to lessen in quantity by boiling, esp. so as to change consistency

to make more terse; condense; summarize

boil

Example sentences containing 'boil down'

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`You must realise that, in your predicament, when you have too much fear, even the infinite outcomes boil down to two basic ones. Scarlett Thomas GOING OUT (2002)

I wondered how forty years of life could suddenly boil down to a lesson in triage. Parker, T. Jefferson SUMMER OF FEAR (1993)

Trends of 'boil down'

Used Occasionally. boil down is one of the 30000 most commonly used words in the Collins dictionary

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Nearby words of 'boil down'

Related Terms of 'boil down'

boil down to

Source

Definition of boil down from the Collins English Dictionary

Square brackets [ ]

Square brackets are used, usually in books and articles, when supplying words that make a quotation clearer or that comment on it, although they were not originally said or written. Mr Runcie conclu...