Meanings
simmer1
present singular third person simmers · participle present simmering · participle past simmered · past simmered · alternative simber
- intransitiveTo cook or undergo heating slowly at or below the boiling point.First known use mid 17ᵗʰ c.
The soup simmered on the stove.
2 more examples
The locomotive was the now inevitable American 2-8-0, No. 2623. There she stood, effectively blocking the level crossing, simmering gently, massively inert. It was almost dark, and one's final sight was of her high, firelit cab, the enginemen nonchalantly leaning out, waiting for the right-away, while impatient road convoys piled up on both sides of the crossing.
1945 January and February, “Notes and News: American Locomotives in France”, in Railway Magazine, page 46That way, the heat can circulate under the meat and prevent it from simmering in its juices.
2004, Susan Westmoreland, The Good Housekeeping Cookbook, Hearst Books, →ISBN, page 89 - transitiveTo cause to cook or to cause to undergo heating slowly at or below the boiling point.
Simmer the soup for five minutes, then serve.
1 more example
There are other easy ways you can bake and simmer and sauté wild game without qualifying as a gourmet cook.
1981, Phyllis Hobson, Easy Game Cookery, Storey Publishing, →ISBN, page 2Synonyms: coddle
- figurativelyintransitiveTo remain angry with someone or something past the point of exhaustion; to resign oneself to holding a grudge, especially after some failed attempts to resolve a situation.
I tried to get through to him; all that's left for me to do is simmer.
alternative simber
- The state or process of simmering.First known use early 19ᵗʰ c.
The kettle was kept on the simmer.
simmer2
plural simmers
- informalvideo gamesSomeone who plays a sim (a simulation game), particularly The Sims.
Simmer3
Simmer4
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo cause to cook or to cause to undergo heating slowly at or below the boiling point.
Origin
simmer · verb, noun
- Middle Englishsimperen“to simmer”
- Englishsimmer
From alteration of dialectal simper, from Middle English simperen (“to simmer”), of possibly imitative origin. First attested in the intransitive sense. The noun is from the verb. First attested in the late 15ᵗʰ century.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Simmer · proper noun
- GermanSimmer
- EnglishSimmer
Borrowed from German Simmer or a variant of Summer.
More words from German
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian къкря, къкрене
- къкря (kăkrja)(transitive) to cause to cook or undergo heating slowly
- къкрене (kăkrene)process of simmering
Catalan bullir a foc lent, coure amb poc foc
- bullir a foc lent(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
- coure amb poc foc(transitive) to cause to cook or undergo heating slowly
Chinese Mandarin 熬, 煨
- 熬(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
- 煨 (wēi)(transitive) to cause to cook or undergo heating slowly
Dutch stoven, sudderen
- stoven(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
- sudderen(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
- stoven(transitive) to cause to cook or undergo heating slowly
- sudderen(transitive) to cause to cook or undergo heating slowly
Esperanto boleti
- boleti(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
Finnish hautua, hauduttaa
- hautua(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
- hauduttaa(transitive) to cause to cook or undergo heating slowly
- kiehua(intransitive) to be on the point of breaking out into anger; to be agitated
- hautoa(intransitive) to develop gradually, of an idea or plan
- kehitellä(intransitive) to develop gradually, of an idea or plan
- hauduttaminenprocess of simmering
French mijoter, bouillotter
- mijoter(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
- bouillotter(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
- faire mijoter(transitive) to cause to cook or undergo heating slowly
German sieden, köcheln
- sieden(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
- köcheln(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
- simmern(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
- sieden(transitive) to cause to cook or undergo heating slowly
- köcheln(transitive) to cause to cook or undergo heating slowly
- schwelen(intransitive) to be on the point of breaking out into anger; to be agitated
Greek σιγοβράζω, σιγοβράζω
- σιγοβράζω (sigovrázo)(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
- σιγοβράζω (sigovrázo)(transitive) to cause to cook or undergo heating slowly
- σιγοβράσιμο (sigovrásimo)process of simmering
Irish suanbhruith, suanbhruith
- suanbhruith(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
- suanbhruith(transitive) to cause to cook or undergo heating slowly
Italian sobbollire, scaldare
- sobbollire(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
- scaldare(transitive) to cause to cook or undergo heating slowly
Japanese とろ火で煮る
- とろ火で煮る (torobi de niru)(transitive) to cause to cook or undergo heating slowly
Korean 은근히 끓이다
- 은근히 끓이다 (eun'geunhi kkeurida)(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
Norwegian Bokmål trekke, trekke
- trekke(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
- trekke(transitive) to cause to cook or undergo heating slowly
Polish gotować na wolnym ogniu, gotować na wolnym ogniu
- gotować na wolnym ogniu(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
- gotować na wolnym ogniu(transitive) to cause to cook or undergo heating slowly
Portuguese aferventar, aferventar
- aferventar(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
- aferventar(transitive) to cause to cook or undergo heating slowly
- aferventamentoprocess of simmering
Russian готовиться на медленном огне, томиться
- готовиться на медленном огне (gotovitʹsja na medlennom ogne)(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
- томиться (tomitʹsja)(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
- готовить на медленном огне (gotovitʹ na medlennom ogne)(transitive) to cause to cook or undergo heating slowly
- готовить, не доводя до кипения (gotovitʹ, ne dovodja do kipenija)(transitive) to cause to cook or undergo heating slowly
- вызрева́ть (vyzrevátʹ)(intransitive) to develop gradually, of an idea or plan
Scottish Gaelic eàrr-bhruich, eàrr-bhruich
- eàrr-bhruich(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
- eàrr-bhruich(transitive) to cause to cook or undergo heating slowly
Spanish calentarse, entibiarse
- calentarse(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
- entibiarse(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
- cocerse a fuego lento(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
- pocharse(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
- escalfarse(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
- cocerse a fuego manso(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
- entibiar(transitive) to cause to cook or undergo heating slowly
- cocer a fuego lento(transitive) to cause to cook or undergo heating slowly
- escalfar(transitive) to cause to cook or undergo heating slowly
- pochar(transitive) to cause to cook or undergo heating slowly
- cocer a fuego manso(transitive) to cause to cook or undergo heating slowly
- calentamientoprocess of simmering
Swedish sjuda, sjuda
- sjuda(intransitive) to cook or undergo heating slowly
- sjuda(transitive) to cause to cook or undergo heating slowly
- sjudningprocess of simmering
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with simmer
Anagrams
Cite this entry
simmer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/simmer
“simmer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/simmer. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “simmer,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/simmer.
Source: simmer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.