boil over
verb
boiled over; boiling over; boils over
1
: to overflow while boiling
2
a
: to become violent or lose control because of anger
so frustrated he's ready to boil over
b
: to develop into something more violent
Their disagreement finally boiled over into a fight.
Examples of boil over in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Friction between him and the series’ writer, executive producer and showrunner Jez Butterworth reportedly boiled over to a point where the two could no longer work together.
—
Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 22 May 2026
Frustrations boiled over at Monday night's school board meeting in Pontiac as a consolidation plan to eventually close Owen, Kennedy, and Alcott elementary schools in the next few years passed.
—Heath Kalb, CBS News, 19 May 2026
Bring to a low boil over medium heat.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 17 May 2026
At one point, after Citron cut backdoor for an easy layup off an inbound pass late in the third quarter, White called a timeout as her frustration boiled over.
—James Boyd, New York Times, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for boil over
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Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 22 May 2026
Frustrations boiled over at Monday night's school board meeting in Pontiac as a consolidation plan to eventually close Owen, Kennedy, and Alcott elementary schools in the next few years passed.
—Heath Kalb, CBS News, 19 May 2026
Bring to a low boil over medium heat.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 17 May 2026
At one point, after Citron cut backdoor for an easy layup off an inbound pass late in the third quarter, White called a timeout as her frustration boiled over.
—James Boyd, New York Times, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for boil over
Cite this Entry
“Boil over.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boil%20over. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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