boil off
B2 neutral separable both
In simple words
To get rid of part of a liquid — like alcohol or water — by boiling until it turns to steam and escapes.
Literal meaning: To boil a substance until it separates off (away) from the rest.
Meanings
1 B2 neutral
To remove a specific substance from a mixture by boiling until it evaporates.
"Add the wine to the pan and boil off the alcohol before adding the cream."
Grammar: separable
2 B2 neutral
(Of a substance) To evaporate from a liquid through the process of boiling.
"The solvent boils off at a relatively low temperature, leaving the residue behind."
Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes
Common in cooking (especially removing alcohol), chemistry, and industry. The transitive form is more common: 'boil off the alcohol'. Also used in gas and petroleum industries. Less commonly intransitive.
Commonly used with
alcohol water impurities solvent liquid vapour
Forms
Base
boil off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
boils off
he/she/it
Past simple
boiled off
yesterday
Past participle
boiled off
have + pp
-ing form
boiling off
continuous
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Synonyms
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