boil over

Meaning

In cooking, this phrasal verb describes what happens when a liquid gets too hot, bubbles up, and spills over the edge of its pot or pan. It is also used metaphorically to describe a situation or emotion, like anger, that becomes too intense to control. It is a common warning or observation in the kitchen.

Examples

• Turn down the heat before the pasta water boils over.

  Turn down the heat before the pasta water boils over.

• The milk boiled over and made a huge mess on the stove.

  The milk boiled over and made a huge mess on the stove.

• Keep an eye on that soup so it doesn't boil over.

  Keep an eye on that soup so it doesn't boil over.

• I forgot about the rice, and it ended up boiling over.

  I forgot about the rice, and it ended up boiling over.

• If you cover the pot completely, the liquid is more likely to boil over.

  If you cover the pot completely, the liquid is more likely to boil over.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ The soup boiled out of the pot.

  ✓ The soup boiled over.

  While 'out' makes logical sense, the phrasal verb 'boil over' is the natural English idiom for liquid spilling over the sides due to boiling.

• ✗ Don't let the water overboil.

  ✓ Don't let the water boil over.

  'Overboil' means to boil something for too long (like overcooking an egg). To describe liquid spilling out, use the phrasal verb 'boil over'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• You need to watch the milk closely so it doesn't ___.

  💡 Spill over the sides of the pot because of heat.

  Show answer

  boil over

• The pot started to ___, leaving sticky residue all over the stove.

  💡 Overflow while boiling.

  Show answer

  boil over