come to a boil

verb

To begin to boil.

“I put some water in a saucepan and it came to a boil fairly quickly.”

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Meanings

verbcome to a boil (third-person singular simple present comes to a boil, present participle coming to a boil, simple past came to a boil, past participle come to a boil)

present singular third person comes to a boil · participle present coming to a boil · past came to a boil · alternative come to the boil

  1. To begin to boil.

    I put some water in a saucepan and it came to a boil fairly quickly.

  2. figurativelyTo reach a critical point; come to a head.
Cite this entry
APA

come to a boil. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/come%20to%20a%20boil

MLA

“come to a boil.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/come%20to%20a%20boil. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “come to a boil,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/come%20to%20a%20boil.

Source: come to a boil on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.