What does "boil down" mean (sense 1)?

(Cooking) To reduce a liquid's volume by boiling it, making it thicker and more concentrated. Example: "Boil the sauce down until it coats the back of a spoon."

What does "boil down" mean (sense 2)?

(Figurative) To reduce information, an argument, or a situation to its most essential or simplest form. Example: "His long speech boiled down to one point: they needed more funding."

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boil down

B1 neutral separable transitive/intransitive

To reduce a liquid by boiling, making it more concentrated; or (figuratively) to reduce something to its most essential point.

In plain English

To make a liquid thicker by boiling, or to find the simple main idea in something complicated.

What does "boil down" mean?

2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.

1 B1 neutral

common

(Cooking) To reduce a liquid's volume by boiling it, making it thicker and more concentrated.

"Boil the sauce down until it coats the back of a spoon."

separable

2 B1 idiomatic neutral

very common

(Figurative) To reduce information, an argument, or a situation to its most essential or simplest form.

"His long speech boiled down to one point: they needed more funding."

“

It all boils down to this: do we want a country where the richest few do better and better while the middle class continues to struggle?
— Barack Obama, campaign speech (2012)

inseparable

Literal vs figurative

Words literally mean

To boil a liquid until it becomes less in volume, going 'down' in the pot.

Actually means

To make a liquid thicker by boiling, or to find the simple main idea in something complicated.

Usage tip

The figurative sense ('it all boils down to…') is extremely common in spoken and written English at all levels. Usually followed by 'to' in the figurative sense. The literal (culinary) sense is also very frequent in cooking contexts.

Words that pair with "boil down"

Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.

sauce syrup argument problem issue question

How to conjugate "boil down"

The five tense forms you'll use most often.

Base

boil down

I/you/we/they

3rd person

boils down

he/she/it

Past simple

boiled down

yesterday

Past participle

boiled down

have + pp

-ing form

boiling down

continuous

Hear "boil down" in the wild

Listen to native speakers using "boil down" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.

Other ways to say "boil down"

Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.

amount to come down to concentrate reduce simplify summarise

Keep exploring

Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.

All phrasal verbs with "boil" All phrasal verbs with "down" More B1-level phrasal verbs