- present participle of boil.
boiling
Americanadjective
-
having reached the boiling point; steaming or bubbling up under the action of heat.
boiling water.
-
fiercely churning or swirling.
the boiling seas.
-
(of anger, rage, etc.) intense; fierce; heated.
adverb
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of boiling
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English; boil 1 + -ing 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One of these organisms is the deep-sea archaeon Methanocaldococcus infernus, which lives in volcanic marine environments where vent fluids can reach temperatures above the boiling point of water.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
Instead of cooking the pasta separately, Meghan puts it directly on top of tomatoes with some lemon zest and greens, then pours boiling water over the whole mixture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Parboil the rice: Cook the rice in generously salted boiling water for 8 minutes.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
The fury from PlayStation die-hards, gamers more broadly, and even creators, has been absolutely boiling ever since the announcement, which earned thousands of aggrieved comments on the brand’s own website.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
The anger that’s inside me is boiling, spitting out words before I can even think twice.
From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
