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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

boil down en · VERB

Etymology

As an allusion to the technique of reduction or decreasing liquid content of food by boiling much of its water off.

Meanings

  1. (intransitive, transitive) To reduce in volume by boiling.
    • He boiled the soup down so it wouldn't be so weak.
  2. (intransitive) To become reduced (to the most central elements or ingredients: to the essence, core, or implication for action).
    • For England, everything now boils down to what happens against Poland on Tuesday. 2013 October 11, Daniel Taylor, The Guardian:
    • So what this boils down to is that you still owe me that fifty bucks.
  3. (transitive) To reduce (to the most central elements or ingredients: to the essence, core, or implication for action).
    • My dissertation is 342 pages long, and I'm required to boil it down to a one-page abstract?!

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
boiled down Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
boiled down Tense=Past lexicographic
boiling down Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
boils down Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic

Relateds

boil off

Synonyms

come down to (become reduced)

Translations (32)

pl sprowadzić do (To reduce) · uk зво́дитися (To become reduced) · es herver el líquido de (Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning) · ko 조리다 (To reduce) · ko 졸다 (To become reduced) · ja 煮詰める (Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning) · it ridurre (To reduce) · ru вы́парить (Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning) · pt condensar (To reduce) · es reducirse a (To become reduced) · pl sprowadzać do (To reduce) · pt resumir-se (To become reduced) · pl zejść do (Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning) · es hervirle el agua a (Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning) · uk звести́ся (To become reduced) · pl schodzić do (Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning) · pt simplificar (To reduce) · ca reduir (To reduce) · fr se résumer (To become reduced) · ru сжать (To reduce) · it condensare (To reduce) · ru свести́ (To reduce) · de einkochen (To reduce) · pl sprowadzić się do (To become reduced) · it semplificare (To reduce) · pt resumir (To reduce) · ru своди́ться (To become reduced) · pl sprowadzać się do (To become reduced) · es resumirse (To become reduced) · ru выпа́ривать (Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning) · ru свести́сь (To become reduced) · pt diminuir (Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning)