boil down

verb

boiled down; boiling down; boils down

transitive verb

1

: to reduce in bulk by boiling

2

: condense, summarize

boil down a report

intransitive verb

1

: to undergo reduction in bulk by boiling

2

a

: to be equivalent in summary : amount

his speech boiled down to a plea for more money

b

: to reduce ultimately

your choices boil down to three

Synonyms

• abstract
• brief
• digest
• encapsulate
• epitomize
• outline
• recap
• recapitulate
• reprise
• sum up
• summarize
• synopsize
• wrap up

Examples of boil down in a Sentence

the discussion of the problem can be boiled down to a couple of critical points

Recent Examples on the Web

Taken together, those trends boiled down to a realization: women—including young women—had assets to protect. —Owen Tripp, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2024

The game’s core loop boils down to beginning a seasonal chapter, exploring the area and seeing what the corruption has done, before following Neva’s desire to cleanse the world. —Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2024

But as any consumer knows, customer satisfaction mostly boils down to instant gratification. —Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 14 Oct. 2024

According to Fry, what separates American and British comedy boils down to optimism, with people from the United States having more positivity infused into their comedy. —Callum Booth, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1723, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

boil down

verb

: to reduce or become reduced by or as if by boiling

let the sauce boil down

boil down a report