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

Meghan Smith, the preventive search and rescue coordinator at the park, cautions that the canyon’s story shouldn’t be boiled down to all doom and gloom. —Alana Wise, NPR, 13 Sep. 2024

That boils down to effort, toughness, enthusiasm, making smart plays and being able to finish. —Ashley Mahoney, Axios, 6 Sep. 2024

Many of the campus rifts boil down to a question of just how personal the political is, students say. —Rachel Janfaza, Glamour, 5 Sep. 2024

Much of his message essentially boils down to this: Some people are better than others, there is a natural order, and Black people are definitely at or near the bottom of it. —Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 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