boil over

verb

boiled over; boiling over; boils over

intransitive verb

1

: to overflow while boiling

2

: to become so incensed as to lose one's temper

boilover

ˈbȯi(-ə)l-ˌō-vər 

noun

Examples of boil over in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

More: Democratic anger boils over as Schumer, 9 other Dem senators vote to avoid shutdown Yet even though enough Senate Democrats voted for the bill to bypass a filibuster, a majority of Democrats bucked Schumer's position. —Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2025

Issues that started in the Cowboys locker room have now boiled over onto social media for the world to see after Lawrence’s departure. —Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Mar. 2025

That’s simmering in her mind as the day starts, and boils over after Valentin (Arnas Fedaravicius) sends her and the girls to a geriatric poolside. —Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 9 Mar. 2025

Vote to keep factional fever from boiling over and scorching our republic. —Abc News, ABC News, 27 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for boil over

• carryover
• changeover
• crossover
• cutover
• flashover
• hangover
• holdover
• layover
• leftover
• makeover
• moreover
• passover

Kids Definition

boil over

verb

1

: to overflow while boiling

2

: to become so angry as to lose one's temper