Simmer Meaning
/ˈsɪmɚ/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
verbTo cook or undergo heating slowly at or below the boiling point.
verbTo cause to cook or to cause to undergo heating slowly at or below the boiling point.
Sentence Examples
Please simmer the beans for a while over a low heat.
Be sure to simmer on a low heat so it doesn't boil.
CEFR Practice Quiz
To make the soup thick, you need to ____ it on low heat for an hour.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Let the soup ____ on low heat for twenty minutes to develop the flavors.
Word Origin & History
From alteration of dialectal simper, from Middle English simperen (“to simmer”), of possibly imitative origin. First attested in the intransitive sense. The noun is from the verb. First attested in the late 15ᵗʰ century.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The locomotive was the now inevitable American 2-8-0, No. 2623. There she stood, effectively blocking the level crossing, simmering gently, massively inert. It was almost dark, and one's final sight was of her high, firelit cab, the enginemen nonchalantly leaning out, waiting for the right-away, while impatient road convoys piled up on both sides of the crossing."
— 1945 January and February, “Notes and News: American Locomotives in France”, in Railway Magazine, page 46:
"That way, the heat can circulate under the meat and prevent it from simmering in its juices."
— 2004, Susan Westmoreland, The Good Housekeeping Cookbook, Hearst Books, →ISBN, page 89:
"There are other easy ways you can bake and simmer and sauté wild game without qualifying as a gourmet cook."
— 1981, Phyllis Hobson, Easy Game Cookery, Storey Publishing, →ISBN, page 2:
"Maybe that really did happen, and Robin's anger at his wife had simmered for this long?"
— 2006, Earl Ganz, The Taos Truth Game, UNM Press, →ISBN:
"The idea for The Sims was one that had been simmering in Wright's mind for quite some time, and was initially conceived as an architecture simulation."
— 2003, Mark H. Walker, Games That Sell!, Wordware Publishing, Inc., →ISBN, page 162:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
To make the soup thick, you need to ____ it on low heat for an hour.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Let the soup ____ on low heat for twenty minutes to develop the flavors.