English Explanatory Dictionary

bore

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To inspire boredom in somebody.
  2. To make a hole through something.
  3. To make a hole with, or as if with, a boring instrument; to cut a circular hole by the rotary motion of a tool.
  4. To form or enlarge (something) by means of a boring instrument or apparatus.
  5. To make (a passage) by laborious effort, as in boring; to force a narrow and difficult passage through.
  6. To be pierced or penetrated by an instrument that cuts as it turns.
  7. To glare (as if to drill a hole with the eyes).
  8. To push or drive (a boxer into the ropes, a boat out of its course, etc.).
  9. To push forward in a certain direction with laborious effort.
  10. To fool; to trick.
noun
  1. A hole drilled, bored, or milled through something.
  2. The diameter of such a hole.
  3. The diameter of a cylinder in a piston engine or compressor.
  4. The tunnel inside of a gun's barrel through which the bullet travels when fired, or (by extension) its diameter.
  5. A tool, such as an auger, for making a hole by boring.
  6. A capped well drilled to tap artesian water.
  7. The place where such a well exists.
  8. One who inspires boredom or lack of interest; an uninteresting person.
  9. Something dull or uninteresting.
  10. Calibre; importance.
noun
  1. A sudden and rapid flow of tide occurring in certain rivers and estuaries which rolls up as a wave.
verb
  1. simple past of bear
  2. past participle of bear
  3. simple past of bare
name
  1. A surname.

Pronunciation

/bɔː(ɹ)/ /boɹ/ /bo(ː)ɹ/ /boə/ en-us-bore.ogg

Word forms

bore bores boring bored

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰerH-der. Proto-Germanic *burōną Proto-West Germanic *borōn Old English borian Middle English boren English bore From Middle English boren, from Old English borian (“to pierce”), from Proto-West Germanic *borōn, from Proto-Germanic *burōną. Compare Danish bore, Norwegian Bokmål bore, Dutch boren, German bohren, Old Norse bora. Cognate with Latin forō (“to bore, to pierce”), Latin feriō (“strike, cut”) and Albanian birë (“hole”). Sense of wearying may come from a figurative use such as "to bore the ears"; compare German drillen.

Synonyms

bore banality snooze snoozer eagre tidal bore

Antonyms

interest thrillsville

Related words

borer bored boredom boring tedium

Derived words

boreable boree bore in bore off bore out boring clam rebore tongue-boring unbore wood-boring artesian bore backbore Boraga bore draw bore-draw borefest borefield boregasm borehole boreism bore lake boreless bore needle boreout borescope boresight bore sight boresighting boresome bore water borewell chokebore counterbore crashing bore cross bore drawbore full bore full-bore less is a bore microbore nanobore overbore sealbore small-bore smoothbore throughbore wellbore windbore

Translations

Albanian: shpo Arabic: ثقب Bulgarian: пробивам Bulgarian: дупча Catalan: barrinar Catalan: perforar Catalan: foradar Crimean Tatar: teşmek Czech: vrtat Czech: vyvrtat Danish: bore Dutch: boren Esperanto: bori Faroese: bora Finnish: porata French: percer Galician: furar Galician: aburacar Galician: esburacar Galician: tradar Galician: buratar German: bohren Ancient Greek: τρυπάω Ancient Greek: τετραίνω Hungarian: fúr Hungarian: kifúr Hungarian: kiváj Icelandic: bora Ingrian: purata Irish: toll Italian: alesare Italian: scavare Latin: terebrō Macedonian: ду́пчи Māori: ore Māori: oreore Māori: poka Norwegian: bore Persian: سفتن Polish: borować Polish: świdrować Polish: wiercić Portuguese: cavar Quechua: hut'kuy Quechua: t'uquy Romanian: găuri Russian: сверли́ть Russian: бура́вить Serbo-Croatian: бу́шити Serbo-Croatian: сврдлати Serbo-Croatian: búšiti Serbo-Croatian: svrdlati Slovak: vŕtať Slovak: prevŕtať Slovak: zavŕtať Slovak: vyvŕtať Slovene: vrtati Spanish: perforar Spanish: horadar Spanish: agujerear Swahili: -dunga Swedish: borra Tày: bón Tày: boóng Telugu: తొలుచు Thai: เจาะ Thai: ไช Turkish: burgulamak
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