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Glite Dictionary
🥚 To cook too long 💦 To overflow
to overboil

to overboil

5.4
To make a boiling liquid rise and spill over a pot
  • verb
  • /ˌoʊvərˈbɔɪl/
translation icon : desbordar
  • He watched closely to ensure the soup wouldn't overboil and spill out of the pot.

Examples

  • If you let the milk overboil, it will create a messy situation on the stove.

  • The coffee maker overboils with a splutter, and she pulls back as scalding liquid sprays across the counter.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • She accidentally overboiled the pasta, leaving it mushy and unappetizing.

Synonyms

to well over
vsto overboil
22 4.4

To rise and flow out like tears or strong feelings

is narrower, meaning heat caused liquid flow out rather than forceful expression
to pour out
vsto overboil
22 2.9

Make liquid flow out of a container

means heat caused liquid flowing out rather than deliberate emptying
to spill over
vsto overboil
16 4.2

To move beyond the edge of a container or place

is specific to heat caused flow out, not broad extension
to run over
vsto overboil
5 3.2

A liquid flows over the top of its container

focuses on heat caused flow out rather than general passing limits
to overrun
vsto overboil
4 5.3

Go past a limit or planned time

is only about liquid flow caused by heat, not general exceeding
to boil over
vsto overboil
4 2.4

Hot liquid gets too high and spills out of its container

has the same sense but focuses on heat caused flow out
to brim over
vsto overboil
3.6

To flow over the edge when a container or feeling is too full

is limited to heat caused flow out rather than fullness
to overbrim
vsto overboil
7.8

To be or make something so full that it spills over the edge

applies to heat caused flow out not only fullness

How Strongly

to overboil
5.4
to boil
269 1.0
simmer
11 3.4

Surface Forms

overboil infinitive
overboiled past
overboiled past participle
overboiling present participle
overboils third person singular

Morphology

overboil = boil (transparent) = over + boil + over

The verb is formed by productive prefixation 'over-' (excess/above) onto the verb 'boil', yielding the sense 'to boil so as to overflow'.

Etymology

The word overboil puts together over- ('too much') and boil ('to heat until bubbles'). So it means to heat something so much that it bubbles over and 'overflows'.