boil down to

boil down to
phrasal verb [transitive, never progressive]
Word forms "boil down to":
present tense I/you/we/they boil down to he/she/it boils down to present participle boiling down to past tense boiled down to past participle boiled down to
boil down to something to be the main reason for something or the most basic part of something

It's difficult to choose which appliance to buy, but in the end it usually boils down to cost.


English dictionary. 2014.

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  • boil down — (something) to reduce something to its most basic or important parts. I am supposed to boil down this ten page report to half a page. The whole question boils down to how will we pay for this? …   New idioms dictionary

  • boil down — index abridge (shorten), distill, lessen Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • boil down — verb 1. be the essential element (Freq. 1) The proposal boils down to a compromise • Syn: ↑reduce, ↑come down • Derivationally related forms: ↑reducible (for: ↑reduc …   Useful english dictionary

  • boil down to — COME DOWN TO, amount to, add up to, be in essence. → boil * * * boil down to (figurative) To mean, to signify when reduced to essentials • • • Main Entry: ↑boil * * * ˌboil ˈdown to [transitive] never progressive [ …   Useful english dictionary

  • boil down — v. 1) (d; intr.) to boil down to (it all boils down to one simple fact) 2) (D; tr.) to boil down to (she boiled the whole story down to one paragraph) * * * [ bɔɪl daʊn] (d; intr.) to boil down to (it all boil downs down to one simple fact) (D;… …   Combinatory dictionary

  • boil down — phrasal verb Word forms boil down : present tense I/you/we/they boil down he/she/it boils down present participle boiling down past tense boiled down past participle boiled down 1) [intransitive/transitive] to become smaller in quantity after… …   English dictionary

  • boil down — PHR V ERG When you boil down a liquid or food, or when it boils down, it is boiled until there is less of it because some of the water in it has changed into steam or vapour. [V P n (not pron)] He boils down red wine and uses what s left... [V P] …   English dictionary

  • boil down — verb Date: 1731 transitive verb 1. to reduce in bulk by boiling 2. condense, summarize < boil down a report > intransitive verb 1. to undergo reduction in bulk by boiling …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • boil down to — phr verb Boil down to is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑argument …   Collocations dictionary

  • boil down something — boil down (something) to reduce something to its most basic or important parts. I am supposed to boil down this ten page report to half a page. The whole question boils down to how will we pay for this? …   New idioms dictionary

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