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boil

boil

35 4.6
A painful swollen spot on the skin filled with pus
  • noun
  • /bɔɪl/
translation icon : forúnculo
  • I thought it would be a carbuncle or a boil, but a hand?

You know what we call blackheads or whiteheads, zits or boils, And it's thought to be caused by three important things.

Examples

  • You've got a nasty boil here.

  • "Have you ever had a boil?" she whispered to me.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • She was scared, she had little infected boils all over her body.

  • Satan reduces Job to squalid poverty, covers his entire body with painful boils, and murders all his children.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Now I have some announcements to make, thanks to your continuing prayers, Mrs. Montez's boils have finally healed.

  • - The people have been plagued by thirst, they've been plagued by frogs, by lice, by flies, by sickness, by boils.

  • The doctor drained the painful boil on his back to relieve the pressure.

  • She was embarrassed when a large boil appeared on her chin before the big event.

  • After a few days, the boil on his arm became red and swollen, indicating infection.

Synonyms

sore
vsboil
49 2.2

A painful spot on the skin that is open or infected

is a specific painful swollen pus-filled infection rather than any irritated skin area
fester
vsboil
48 7.5

A sore that gets infected and fills with pus

is a painful swollen skin area rather than any wound that produces pus
abscess
vsboil
  • Specialized
23 7.5

A painful swollen area in the body that contains pus from an infection

is limited to painful swollen skin areas caused by bacteria and filled with pus
pustule
vsboil
  • Specialized
5 8.1

A small red raised spot on the skin filled with pus

is a larger painful swollen infected area, not just a small spot
furuncle
vsboil
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A painful swollen lump on the skin around a hair that is filled with pus

is a painful swollen skin area caused by bacteria and filled with pus
suppurating sore
vsboil
  • Specialized
1 9.5

A sore that is red, swollen, and makes pus

is a painful swollen skin area specifically caused by bacterial infection and filled with pus
bouton
vsboil
  • Archaic
9.9

A small red spot on the skin, like a pimple

is a larger, more swollen and pus-filled skin area than a tiny spot

Idioms

6 7.0

To cause someone to feel very angry

9.6

To try to do something too big to finish

6.0

Hot food or drink that is not bubbling so you can use it

Compounds

boil smut
  • Archaic
9.9

A disease of corn that makes grey-white bumps burst and show black dust

Delhi boil
  • Archaic
9.9

A skin disease that makes open sores on exposed skin after sandfly bites

Aleppo boil
  • Archaic
9.4

A skin disease that causes painful open sores

How Severe

carbuncle
  • Specialized
1 9.9
abscess
  • Specialized
23 7.5
boil
35 4.6
pimple
62 1.0

Surface Forms

boil singular
boils plural

Etymology

The word boil comes from an old idea of a swelling or 'bubble' on the skin. That is why a skin boil is a painful, pus-filled bump — think of it like a trapped, painful bubble.