noun
Etymology
Origin of boor
First recorded in 1545–55; from Dutch boer or Low German būr (cognate with German Bauer “farmer”), derivative of unattestest Germanic bū- “to dwell, build, cultivate”; see -er 1; cf. bond 2
Explanation
A boor is a crude, rude person. Boors lack sophistication and manners. Boors are worse than boring; they’re offensive and repulsive. To be a boor is to be an obnoxious, unsophisticated oaf. A boor would swear in church. A boor would talk too loudly on the train. A boor would get too drunk at a wedding reception. Boors lack manners and taste. When a boor is around, other people want to leave. If you have self-control and culture, you’ll never be accused of being a boor.
Vocabulary lists containing boor
Scrooge, Grinch, and Churl: Wonderful Words for Unpleasant People
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Society and Solitude
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The Legend of Auntie Po
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Michaela Boor, 30, was with a friend and they had just dropped their children off at school in March 2018, when the incident happened.
From BBC • Jun. 16, 2025
"These super tiny nanoparticles are so small that you're not able to see them. They're not like dust particles that you would see floating in the air," Boor said.
From Science Daily • Feb. 27, 2024
The larger problem, Boor says, is the scarcity of regulations for the design and operation of buildings—and the use of various common chemicals inside them—with respect to air quality.
From Science Magazine • Feb. 24, 2022
It was an implicit signal that they would not cross a picket line, should the Opera House Orchestra strike, de Boor said.
From Washington Post • Oct. 7, 2021
While I am on this theme, and as it really engrossed every moment of my time at Bagamoyo, I may as well be more explicit regarding Boor Hadji Palloo and his connection with my business.
From How I Found Livingstone; travels, adventures, and discoveres in Central Africa, including an account of four months' residence with Dr. Livingstone, by Henry M. Stanley by Stanley, Henry M. (Henry Morton)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
