Real Dictionary

boil
verb: When a hot liquid boils or when you boil it, bubbles appear in it and it starts to change into steam or vapour.
verb: When you boil a kettle or pan, or put it on to boil, you heat the water inside it until it boils.

boil in American English 1
the act or state of boiling
to bubble up and vaporize over direct heat
to heat to the boiling point
intransitive verb: to change from a liquid to a gaseous state, producing bubbles of gas that rise to the surface of the liquid, agitating it as they rise
transitive verb: to cause to boil or to bring to the boiling point

boil in American English 2
an inflamed, painful, pus-filled swelling on the skin, caused by localized infection; furuncle
noun: a painful, circumscribed inflammation of the skin or a hair follicle, having a dead, suppurating inner core: usually caused by a staphylococcal infection

boil in British English 1
noun: the state or action of boiling (esp in the phrases on the boil, off the boil)
verb: to change or cause to change from a liquid to a vapour so rapidly that bubbles of vapour are formed copiously in the liquid

boil in British English 2
noun: a red painful swelling with a hard pus-filled core caused by bacterial infection of the skin and subcutaneous tissues, esp at a hair follicle

boil in Hospitality 1
When a hot liquid boils or when you boil it, bubbles appear in it and it starts to change into steam or vapor.

boil in Hospitality 2
When you boil food, or when it boils, it is cooked in boiling water.