boil over

phrasal verb·1 sense·particle over

Meanings

1

(of liquid) overflow while boiling

Why “over”? The top moves to the bottom. The object turns over.

The milk boiled over.
The boiling milk overflowed the pan.
The soup boiled over onto the stove.
The boiling soup overflowed onto the stove.

Don't confuse with

boil overboil down

Boil over means overflow while boiling. Boil down means reduce to the essential point.

Test yourself

The milk boiled over. What does it mean?

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