bore
1- to weary by dullness, tedious repetition, unwelcome attentions, etc.: The long speech bored me.
- a dull, tiresome, or uncongenial person.
- a cause of ennui or petty annoyance: repetitious tasks that are a bore to do.
Origin of bore
1Synonyms for bore
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comAntonyms for bore
bore
2- to pierce (a solid substance) with some rotary cutting instrument.
- to make (a hole) by drilling with such an instrument.
- to form, make, or construct (a tunnel, mine, well, passage, etc.) by hollowing out, cutting through, or removing a core of material: to bore a tunnel through the Alps; to bore an oil well 3000 feet deep.
- Machinery. to enlarge (a hole) to a precise diameter with a cutting tool within the hole, by rotating either the tool or the work.
- to force (an opening), as through a crowd, by persistent forward thrusting (usually followed by through or into); to force or make (a passage).
- to make a hole in a solid substance with a rotary cutting instrument.
- Machinery. to enlarge a hole to a precise diameter.
- (of a substance) to admit of being bored: Certain types of steel do not bore well.
Origin of bore
2Synonyms for bore
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.combore
3- an abrupt rise of tidal water moving rapidly inland from the mouth of an estuary.
Origin of bore
3bore
4- simple past tense of bear1.
bear
1- to hold up; support: to bear the weight of the roof.
- to hold or remain firm under (a load): The roof will not bear the strain of his weight.
- to bring forth (young); give birth to: to bear a child.
- to produce by natural growth: a tree that bears fruit.
- to hold up under; be capable of: His claim doesn't bear close examination.
- to press or push against: The crowd was borne back by the police.
- to hold or carry (oneself, one's body, one's head, etc.): to bear oneself erectly.
- to conduct (oneself): to bear oneself bravely.
- to suffer; endure; undergo: to bear the blame.
- to sustain without yielding or suffering injury; tolerate (usually used in negative constructions, unless qualified): I can't bear your nagging. I can hardly bear to see her suffering so.
- to be fit for or worthy of: It doesn't bear repeating.
- to carry; bring: to bear gifts.
- to carry in the mind or heart: to bear love; to bear malice.
- to transmit or spread (gossip, tales, etc.).
- to render; afford; give: to bear witness; to bear testimony.
- to lead; guide; take: They bore him home.
- to have and be entitled to: to bear title.
- to exhibit; show: to bear a resemblance.
- to accept or have, as an obligation: to bear responsibility; to bear the cost.
- to stand in (a relation or ratio); have or show correlatively: the relation that price bears to profit.
- to possess, as a quality or characteristic; have in or on: to bear traces; to bear an inscription.
- to have and use; exercise: to bear authority; to bear sway.
- to tend in a course or direction; move; go: to bear west; to bear left at the fork in the road.
- to be located or situated: The lighthouse bears due north.
- to bring forth young or fruit: Next year the tree will bear.
- bear down,
- to press or weigh down.
- to strive harder; intensify one's efforts: We can't hope to finish unless everyone bears down.
- Nautical.to approach from windward, as a ship: The cutter was bearing down the channel at twelve knots.
- bear down on/upon,
- to press or weigh down on.
- to strive toward.
- to approach something rapidly.
- Nautical.to approach (another vessel) from windward: The sloop bore down on us, narrowly missing our stern.
- bear off,
- Nautical.to keep (a boat) from touching or rubbing against a dock, another boat, etc.
- Nautical.to steer away.
- Backgammon.to remove the stones from the board after they are all home.
- bear on/upon, to affect, relate to, or have connection with; be relevant to: This information may bear on the case.
- bear out, to substantiate; confirm: The facts bear me out.
- bear up, to endure; face hardship bravely: It is inspiring to see them bearing up so well.
- bear with, to be patient or forbearing with: Please bear with me until I finish the story.
- bring to bear, to concentrate on with a specific purpose: Pressure was brought to bear on those with overdue accounts.
Origin of bear
1Synonyms for bear
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comSynonym study
Usage note
bear
2- any of the plantigrade, carnivorous or omnivorous mammals of the family Ursidae, having massive bodies, coarse heavy fur, relatively short limbs, and almost rudimentary tails.
- any of various animals resembling the bear, as the ant bear.
- a gruff, burly, clumsy, bad-mannered, or rude person.
- a person who believes that market prices, especially of stocks, will decline (opposed to bull).
- Informal. a person who shows great ability, enthusiasm, stamina, etc.: a bear for physics.
- (initial capital letter) Astronomy. either of two constellations, Ursa Major or Ursa Minor.
- Informal. a player at cards who rarely bluffs.
- (initial capital letter) Russia.
- having to do with or marked by declining prices, as of stocks: bear market.
- Stock Exchange. to force prices down in (a market, stock, etc.).
- loaded for bear, Informal. fully prepared and eager to initiate or deal with a fight, confrontation, or trouble: Keep away from the boss—he's loaded for bear today.
Origin of bear
2Related Words for bore
wimp, annoy, exhaust, tire, bother, irritate, irk, fatigue, jade, worry, pain, nag, yawn, drip, soporific, drag, bromide, pest, bummer, nudgeExamples from the Web for bore
Contemporary Examples of bore
The eventual deal, approved by Law 840 in June 2013, bore little resemblance to the original.
They bought La Pietra, where she bore a son, Harold, the following year.
In 2010, Jake Holmes sued over “Dazed and Confused,” claiming it bore a strong resemblance to his own song of the same name.
In the end he was left with a disappointing product that bore little of his creative fingerprint.
The son walked alongside the fire rig that bore the flag-covered coffin.
Historical Examples of bore
He bore still around him the rope that was to save the rest.
MalboneThomas Wentworth Higginson
Then he took Emilia in his arms and bore her to the door, Hope preceding.
MalboneThomas Wentworth Higginson
I bore it very well for a while, for at first it only amused me.
Weighed and WantingGeorge MacDonald
But she bore trouble in her own bosom, and could find no peace in this chosen land.
Biographical SketchesNathaniel Hawthorne
He had but a short time to wait before the train left, and bore him away.
Life in LondonEdwin Hodder
bore
1- to produce (a hole) in (a material) by use of a drill, auger, or other cutting tool
- to increase the diameter of (a hole), as by an internal turning operation on a lathe or similar machine
- (tr) to produce (a hole in the ground, tunnel, mine shaft, etc) by digging, drilling, cutting, etc
- (intr) informal (of a horse or athlete in a race) to push other competitors, esp in order to try to get them out of the way
- a hole or tunnel in the ground, esp one drilled in search of minerals, oil, etc
- a circular hole in a material produced by drilling, turning, or drawing
- the diameter of such a hole
- the hollow part of a tube or cylinder, esp of a gun barrel
- the diameter of such a hollow part; calibre
- Australian an artesian well
Word Origin for bore
bore
2- (tr) to tire or make weary by being dull, repetitious, or uninteresting
- a dull, repetitious, or uninteresting person, activity, or state
Word Origin for bore
bore
3- a high steep-fronted wave moving up a narrow estuary, caused by the tide
Word Origin for bore
bore
4- the past tense of bear 1
Bear
- the English name for Ursa Major, Ursa Minor
- an informal name for Russia
bear
1- to support or hold up; sustain
- to bring or conveyto bear gifts
- to take, accept, or assume the responsibility ofto bear an expense
- (past participle born in passive use except when foll by by) to give birth toto bear children
- (also intr) to produce by or as if by natural growthto bear fruit
- to tolerate or endureshe couldn't bear him
- to admit of; sustainhis story does not bear scrutiny
- to hold in the conscious mind or in one's feelingsto bear a grudge; I'll bear that idea in mind
- to show or be marked withhe still bears the scars
- to transmit or spreadto bear gossip
- to render or supply (esp in the phrase bear witness)
- to conduct or manage (oneself, the body, etc)she bore her head high
- to have, be, or stand in (relation or comparison)his account bears no relation to the facts
- (intr) to move, be located, or lie in a specified directionthe way bears east
- to have by right; be entitled to (esp in the phrase bear title)
- bear a hand to give assistance
- bring to bear to bring into operation or effecthe brought his knowledge to bear on the situation
Word Origin for bear
bear
2- any plantigrade mammal of the family Ursidae : order Carnivora (carnivores). Bears are typically massive omnivorous animals with a large head, a long shaggy coat, and strong clawsSee also black bear, brown bear, polar bear Related adjective: ursine
- any of various bearlike animals, such as the koala and the ant bear
- a clumsy, churlish, or ill-mannered person
- a teddy bear
- stock exchange
- a speculator who sells in anticipation of falling prices to make a profit on repurchase
- (as modifier)a bear market Compare bull 1 (def. 5)
- (tr) to lower or attempt to lower the price or prices of (a stock market or a security) by speculative selling
Word Origin for bear
Word Origin and History for bore
Old English borian "to bore through, perforate," from bor "auger," from Proto-Germanic *buron (cf. Old Norse bora, Swedish borra, Old High German boron, Middle Dutch boren, German bohren), from PIE root *bher- (2) "to cut with a sharp point, pierce, bore" (cf. Greek pharao "I plow," Latin forare "to bore, pierce," Old Church Slavonic barjo "to strike, fight," Albanian brime "hole").
The meaning "diameter of a tube" is first recorded 1570s; hence figurative slang full bore (1936) "at maximum speed," from notion of unchoked carburetor on an engine. Sense of "be tiresome or dull" first attested 1768, a vogue word c.1780-81 according to Grose; possibly a figurative extension of "to move forward slowly and persistently," as a boring tool does.
past tense of bear (v.).
thing which causes ennui or annoyance, 1778; of persons by 1812; from bore (v.1).
The secret of being a bore is to tell everything. [Voltaire, "Sept Discours en Vers sur l'Homme," 1738]
bear
Old English beran "to bear, bring; bring forth, produce; to endure, sustain; to wear" (class IV strong verb; past tense bær, past participle boren), from Proto-Germanic *beranan (cf. Old Saxon beran, Old Frisian bera, Old High German beran, German gebären, Old Norse bera, Gothic bairan "to carry, bear, give birth to"), from PIE root *bher- (1) meaning both "give birth" (though only English and German strongly retain this sense, and Russian has beremennaya "pregnant") and "carry a burden, bring" (see infer).
Ball bearings "bear" the friction. Many senses are from notion of "move onward by pressure." Old English past tense bær became Middle English bare; alternative bore began to appear c.1400, but bare remained the literary form till after 1600. Past participle distinction of borne for "carried" and born for "given birth" is from late 18c. To bear (something) in mind is from 1530s.
bear
Old English bera "bear," from Proto-Germanic *beron, literally "the brown (one)" (cf. Old Norse björn, Middle Dutch bere, Dutch beer, Old High German bero, German Bär), from PIE *bher- (3) "bright, brown" (see brown (adj.)).
Greek arktos and Latin ursus retain the PIE root word for "bear" (*rtko; see Arctic), but it is believed to have been ritually replaced in the northern branches because of hunters' taboo on names of wild animals (cf. the Irish equivalent "the good calf," Welsh "honey-pig," Lithuanian "the licker," Russian medved "honey-eater"). Others connect the Germanic word with Latin ferus "wild," as if it meant "the wild animal (par excellence) of the northern woods."
Symbolic of Russia since 1794. Used of uncouth persons since 1570s. Stock market meaning "speculator for a fall" is 1709 shortening of bearskin jobber (from the proverb sell the bearskin before one has caught the bear); i.e. "one who sells stock for future delivery, expecting that meanwhile prices will fall." Paired with bull from c.1720. Bear claw as a type of large pastry is from 1942, originally chiefly western U.S.
bore
- In fluid mechanics, a jump in the level of moving water, generally propagating in the opposite direction to the current. Strong ocean tides can cause bores to propagate up rivers.
- The white, shallow portion of a wave after it breaks. The bore carries ocean water onto the beach.
- A tidal wave caused by the surge of a flood tide upstream in a narrowing estuary or by colliding tidal currents.
Idioms and Phrases with bore
bear
In addition to the idioms beginning with bear
- bear a grudge
- bear down
- beard the lion
- bear fruit
- bear in mind
- bear one's cross
- bear out
- bear the brunt
- bear up
- bear with
also see:
- bring to bear
- cross as a bear
- cross to bear
- grin and bear it
- loaded for bear