boiling

From boil + -ing.

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔɪlɪŋ/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔɪlɪŋ
• Hyphenation: boil‧ing

boiling

1. present participle and gerund of boil

boiling (countable and uncountable, plural boilings)

2. (uncountable, countable) The process of changing the state of a substance from liquid to gas by heating it to its boiling point.

   Antonym: freezing

   Coordinate terms: evaporating, sublimating, superheating

4. (uncountable, countable) The cooking (of food) or cleaning (of an object) by immersing it in liquid (usually water) that is boiling.

   Coordinate terms: steaming, sautéing, broiling, frying, baking

6. (countable, figurative) A turmoil; a disturbance like that of bubbling water.
8. (uncountable, figurative) An animation style with constantly changing wavy outlines, giving a shimmering or wobbling appearance.

boiling (comparative more boiling, superlative most boiling)

1. That boils or boil.

   boiling kettle  boiling oil

2. (informal, hyperbolic) Of a thing: extremely hot or active.

   The radiator is boiling – I’m going to turn it down a bit.

   • 1963, Margery Allingham, “Conference in the Morning”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 130:

     With a little manœuvring they contrived to meet on the doorstep which now, in mid-morning, was in a boiling stream of passers-by, hurrying business people speeding past in a flurry of fumes and dust in the bright haze.

   • 2016, Justin O. Schmidt, The Sting of the Wild, Johns Hopkins University Press,, →ISBN, page 37:

     As I collected some individuals from a nest, an alarm was sent and a boiling mass of ants issued from the colony.

3. (informal, hyperbolic) Of a person: feeling uncomfortably hot.

   Synonyms: steaming, cooking, baking, frying

   I’m boiling – can’t we open a window?

4. (informal, hyperbolic) Of the weather: very hot.

   It’s boiling out today!

boiling (not comparable)

1. (of adjectives associated with heat) Extremely

   He was boiling mad.

• “boiling”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.