verb
simmer
SIH-muh
verb
1
To cook gently in liquid just below boiling point.
"Let the sauce simmer for twenty minutes, stirring occasionally."
"She simmered the stock for hours to draw out the flavour."
2
To be filled with barely controlled anger or excitement.
"Resentment had been simmering in the office for weeks before it boiled over."
noun
1
The state of cooking gently just below boiling.
"Bring the soup to a simmer, then reduce the heat."
How to Use Simmer
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo cook gently just below boiling, or to be quietly building up anger or tension.
Common mistake
Don't confuse a "simmer" (gentle bubbling) with a full "boil" — simmering is much gentler and slower.
Common pairings
bring to a simmer
simmer down
simmering tension
Word Forms
simmered past tense, simmers plural, Simmers plural, Simmers plural, simmers singular
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Etymology
Likely an alteration of the older word "simper" in the sense "to make a faint bubbling sound," first recorded in cookery in the late 1400s.