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• gore
  gore

  noun

  blood that is shed, especially when clotted.
• Gore
  Gore

  noun

  Albert Arnold, Jr. Al, born 1948, U.S. politician: vice president of the U.S. 1993–2001.

gore

¹ American  

[gawr, gohr] / gɔr, goʊr /

noun

1. blood that is shed, especially when clotted.

2. murder, bloodshed, violence, etc..

   That horror movie had too much gore.

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gore ² American  

[gawr, gohr] / gɔr, goʊr /

verb (used with object)

gored, goring

1. to pierce with or as if with a horn or tusk.

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gore ³ American  

[gawr, gohr] / gɔr, goʊr /

noun

1. a triangular piece of material inserted in a garment, sail, etc., to give it greater width or a desired shape.

2. one of the panels, usually tapering or shaped, making up a garment, as a skirt.

3. a triangular tract of land, especially one lying between larger divisions.

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verb (used with object)

gored, goring

1. to make or furnish with a gore or gores.

Gore ⁴ American  

[gawr, gohr] / gɔr, goʊr /

noun

1. Albert Arnold, Jr. Al, born 1948, U.S. politician: vice president of the U.S. 1993–2001.

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Gore ⁵ American  

[gawr-ey, gohr-ey] / ˈgɔr eɪ, ˈgoʊr eɪ /

noun

1. a city in W Ethiopia.

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gore ¹ British  

/ ɡɔː /

noun

1. a tapering or triangular piece of material used in making a shaped skirt, umbrella, etc

2. a similarly shaped piece, esp of land

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verb

1. (tr) to make into or with a gore or gores

gore ² British  

/ ɡɔː /

noun

1. blood shed from a wound, esp when coagulated

2. informal killing, fighting, etc

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Gore ³ British  

/ ɡɔː /

noun

1. Al ( bert ) Jr. born 1948, US Democrat politician; vice president of the US (1993–2001); defeated in the disputed presidential election of 2000; leading environmental campaigner; shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with the Intergovernmental Panel For Climate Change

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gore ⁴ British  

/ ɡɔː /

verb

1. (tr) (of an animal, such as a bull) to pierce or stab (a person or another animal) with a horn or tusk

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Other Word Forms

• gored
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of gore¹

First recorded in before 900; Middle English gor(r)e “filth, moral filth,” Old English gor “dung, bull dung, dirt”; cognate with Dutch goor, Old High German gor “filth,” Old Norse gor “cud”

Origin of gore²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English gor(r)en “to pierce, stab,” derivative of gōre “spear, javelin, dart,” from Old English gār spear, shaft, arrow”; see also gore ³

Origin of gore³

First recorded before 900; Middle English gor(e), gar(e) “triangular piece of land, triangular piece of cloth,” Old English gāra “triangular piece of land, corner” (cognate with German Gehre “gusset”); akin to Old English gār “spear”; see gore ² ( def. )

Explanation

Do you like horror movies? Then you probably like gore: bloody, yucky, violent action. Gore certainly includes the bloody violence in zombie movies, but it can also refer to real-life violence, especially bloodshed and murder. If you stabbed someone with a sword, you gored them. An animal with sharp horns, like a bull, can gore a person to death. Gore is also blood that's clotting in a wound. An un-bloody, unrelated meaning of gore is a triangle-shaped piece of cloth used in making umbrellas, sails, and some clothes.

Example Sentences

Veteran third-choice keeper Tom Heaton, 40, and midfielder Dan Gore, 21, a regular starter in his second loan spell at relegated League One side Rotherham United, are also out of contract.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

As the week's lone genuinely dissenting voice, Gore called for a real action plan to map threatened jobs and prepare workers for career transitions, so as not to repeat the mistakes of the globalization era.

From Barron's • Apr. 12, 2026

Even after a pair of mediocre seasons, the Rangers remained aggressive this winter, making a pair of blockbuster trades, acquiring frontline starter MacKenzie Gore from the Nationals and outfielder Brandon Nimmo from the Mets.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

Mr. Gore doggedly sold his Reinventing Government effort, even going on David Letterman’s late-night TV show.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

I’m starting to get annoyed, and it must show, because Mr. Gore writes me a pass and holds it up between his fore- and middle fingers.

From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick