boil away: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
B2Neutral to informal. Common in everyday and culinary contexts; the figurative use is more informal.
Quick answer
What does “boil away” mean?
To evaporate completely through the process of boiling, leaving nothing in the container.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
To evaporate completely through the process of boiling, leaving nothing in the container.
To gradually disappear, be lost, or become ineffective, often through neglect or the passage of time.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical difference. Both use the phrase identically in literal and figurative senses.
Connotations
Identical in both varieties.
Frequency
Equally common in both British and American English.
Grammar
How to Use “boil away” in a Sentence
[Subject: liquid/abstract thing] + boil away[Subject: person] + boil away + [Object: liquid] (e.g., 'I boiled the water away.')Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “boil away” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- If you're not careful, all the water will boil away and ruin the pan.
- Her goodwill towards the project eventually boiled away.
American English
- I left the chili on the stove too long and the liquid boiled away.
- His patience boiled away after the third unanswered email.
adverb
British English
- [Not applicable as a standard adverb]
American English
- [Not applicable as a standard adverb]
adjective
British English
- [Not applicable as a standard adjective]
American English
- [Not applicable as a standard adjective]
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Informal: 'Our early profits boiled away due to unexpected overheads.'
Academic
Rare. Might appear in chemistry or physics contexts describing phase changes.
Everyday
Common: 'Don't let the soup boil away!' or 'My initial excitement boiled away after weeks of delays.'
Technical
Used in cooking and scientific descriptions of evaporation.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “boil away”
- Using 'boil out' instead of 'boil away'.
- Using it transitively incorrectly: 'The sun boiled away the water' is acceptable, but 'The water was boiled away by me' is clunky.
- Overusing the figurative sense in formal writing.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
They are often interchangeable for the literal meaning. 'Boil off' is slightly more technical/industrial (e.g., boiling off impurities). 'Boil away' is more common for everyday cooking and figurative use.
Yes, but it's less common. E.g., 'The excess liquid was boiled away to create a thicker sauce.' The active voice is more frequent.
No, it is informal. In formal writing, prefer alternatives like 'dissipate', 'evaporate', or 'be depleted'.
It can imply either, depending on context. 'The water boiled away in minutes' (fast). 'Our optimism boiled away over the years' (slow).
To evaporate completely through the process of boiling, leaving nothing in the container.
Boil away: in British English it is pronounced /ˈbɔɪl əˈweɪ/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈbɔɪl əˈweɪ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[No specific idioms, but the phrase itself is used figuratively]”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a pot on a high flame until it's completely dry and empty. The water has 'boiled' and gone 'away'.
Conceptual Metaphor
DISAPPEARANCE IS EVAPORATION (e.g., money, time, enthusiasm can 'boil away').
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'boil away' used figuratively?