boil down
[verb]
Synonyms: simplify, streamline

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

boil down phrasal verb (see also boil)

1. boil down to something informal if a long statement, argument etc boils down to a single statement, that statement is the main point or cause:
It boils down to a question of priorities.

2. boil something ↔ down to make a list or piece of writing shorter by not including anything that is not necessary:
You can boil this down so that there are just two main categories.

3. if a food or liquid boils down, or if you boil it down, it becomes less after it is cooked:
Spinach tends to boil down a lot.
boil something ↔ down
glue made from boiling down old sheepskins

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

boil down
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?

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms 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?

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

boil down
v.
1. To boil away some of the water from; make less by boiling.
She boiled down the maple sap to a thick syrup.
The fruit juice boiled down until it was almost not good for jelly.
2. To reduce the length of; cut down; shorten.
The reporter boiled the story down to half the original length.
3. To reduce itself to; come down to; be briefly or basically.
The whole discussion boils down to the question of whether the government should fix prices.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲