boils

Noun (1)

boil (plural boils)

1. A localized accumulation of pus in the skin, resulting from infection.

   Synonyms:

   abscess, carbuncle, cyst, furuncle, pimple, pustule

Noun (2)

boil (plural boils)

1. The point at which fluid begins to change to a vapour; the boiling point.
   • Add the noodles when the water comes to the boil.
2. An instance of boiling.
   • Surface water will do, but give it a good boil before drinking it.
3. A dish of boiled food, especially seafood.
   • a down-home boil with plenty of crab
4. (US) A social event at which people gather to boil and eat food, especially seafood. (Compare a bake or clambake.)
   • a down-home boil at the town hall
5. (collective, nonstandard, rare) A group of hawks.
   • Hawks often look at each other as they ride their thermals, and if one is rising more rapidly, dozens of hawks—even hundreds—will join it, forming a "kettle" or a "boil" of hawks, one of the most spectacular sights in the bird world.1982 September, Lawrence S. Earley, “Appalachian Wild Surfers”, in Wildlife in North Carolina, volume 46, number 9, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, page 4

See all 17 meanings of boil