boil
- noun
- /bɔɪl/
- 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.
- You know what we call blackheads or whiteheads, zits or boils, And it's thought to be caused by three important things.
Examples
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You've got a nasty boil here.
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"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.
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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.
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- The people have been plagued by thirst, they've been plagued by frogs, by lice, by flies, by sickness, by boils.
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The doctor drained the painful boil on his back to relieve the pressure.
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She was embarrassed when a large boil appeared on her chin before the big event.
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After a few days, the boil on his arm became red and swollen, indicating infection.
Synonyms
A painful spot on the skin that is open or infected
A sore that gets infected and fills with pus
A painful swollen area in the body that contains pus from an infection
A small red raised spot on the skin filled with pus
A painful swollen lump on the skin around a hair that is filled with pus
A sore that is red, swollen, and makes pus
A small red spot on the skin, like a pimple
Idioms
Compounds
How Severe
Surface Forms
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.