simmering

Everyday

1. Cooking gently in liquid that is just below boiling, with small bubbles. tree →
2. (of feelings) Growing slowly inside someone without fully showing yet, like anger or excitement. tree →
3. (of a problem or argument) Continuing quietly and likely to grow worse. tree →
4. «Simmering down» — becoming calmer after being angry or excited. tree →

In the lessons

In cooking and science, simmering is gentle heating below 100 °C at sea level, used for soups and sauces; safety lessons remind pupils to keep pan handles turned in. In stories simmering anger shows a character close to exploding. In news, «simmering tensions» describes a dispute that has not yet become a fight.

Examples

• The soup is simmering on the stove. tree →
• Let the sauce keep simmering for ten minutes. tree →
• She was simmering with anger but said nothing. tree →
• There were simmering tensions between the two teams. tree →
• "Simmer down!" said the teacher when we got too loud. tree →
• Leave the pan simmering, not boiling hard. tree →
• The simmering argument finally boiled over at lunch. tree →

Note

Regular verb; doubled «m» already in «simmer». Simmering is gentler than boiling: small, slow bubbles. «Boil over» (literally and figuratively) is what happens after things simmer too long.