bore

[ bawr ]

/ bɔr /

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See synonyms for: bore / bored / boring on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), bored, bor·ing.

to weary by dullness, tedious repetition, unwelcome attentions, etc.: The long speech bored me.

noun

a dull, tiresome, or uncongenial person.

a cause of ennui or petty annoyance: repetitious tasks that are a bore to do.

OTHER WORDS FOR bore

1 fatigue, tire, annoy.

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OPPOSITES FOR bore

1 amuse; thrill, enrapture.

See antonyms for bore on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ

There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!

Question 1 of 7

True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

true

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Origin of bore

First recorded in 1760–70; of uncertain origin

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bore

1. boar, boor, bore 2. board, bored

Words nearby bore

Border States, border tax, Border terrier, Bordet, bordure, bore, boreal, Boreas, borecole, bored, boredom

Other definitions for bore (2 of 4)

bore²

[ bawr ]

/ bɔr /

verb (used with object), bored, bor·ing.

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 3,000 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).

verb (used without object), bored, bor·ing.

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.

noun

a hole made or enlarged by boring.

the inside diameter of a hole, tube, or hollow cylindrical or conical object or device, such as a bushing or bearing, engine cylinder, musical wind instrument, or barrel of a gun.

OTHER WORDS FOR bore

1 perforate, drill.

10 caliber.

See synonyms for bore on Thesaurus.com

Origin of bore

First recorded before 900; Middle English bor(i)en, Old English borian; cognate with Old High German borōn, German bohren, Old Norse bora, Latin forāre

OTHER WORDS FROM bore

bore·a·ble, bor·a·ble, adjective

Other definitions for bore (3 of 4)

bore³

[ bawr, bohr ]

/ bɔr, boʊr /

noun

an abrupt rise of tidal water moving rapidly inland from the mouth of an estuary.

Also called tidal bore .

Origin of bore

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English bare “a wave, billow,” from Old Norse bāra

Other definitions for bore (4 of 4)

bore⁴

[ bawr, bohr ]

/ bɔr, boʊr /

verb

simple past tense of bear¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bore in a sentence

Forcing kids into longer seat times bores children who don’t need the extra time while stealing instructional attention from those who do.
Teacher: What Americans keep getting wrong about our unions during the pandemic|Valerie Strauss|February 2, 2021|Washington Post
Corny and boring in bed, the boyfriend is unappealing but Roberts has trouble pulling herself out of the situation.
BET+ Is Bringing “Bigger” To TV|Brande Victorian|January 27, 2021|Essence.com
Studies from the late 1970s suggested that getting bored can make you more creative, and 21st-century research has backed that up.
There’s a right and wrong way to be bored|Sara Chodosh|January 22, 2021|Popular-Science
Upon graduating she took a job with an oil company in Oklahoma but was bored by work that involved neither fieldwork nor research.
Marie Tharp’s groundbreaking maps brought the seafloor to the world|Betsy Mason|January 13, 2021|Science News

“Something that long and boring only the New Yorker would publish,” Astor said.
Ved Mehta, whose monumental autobiography explored life in India, dies at 86|Harrison Smith|January 12, 2021|Washington Post
The former senior intelligence official said the hacking bore the hallmarks of a “campaign,” and not a one-off operation.
Obama Could Hit China to Punish North Korea|Shane Harris, Tim Mak|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The eventual deal, approved by Law 840 in June 2013, bore little resemblance to the original.
China’s Nicaragua Canal Could Spark a New Central America Revolution|Nina Lakhani|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They bought La Pietra, where she bore a son, Harold, the following year.
In Tussle Over Will, Mistress’s Family Takes a Bite Out of NYU|Anthony Haden-Guest|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 2010, Jake Holmes sued over “Dazed and Confused,” claiming it bore a strong resemblance to his own song of the same name.
‘No Stairway, Denied!’ Led Zeppelin Lawsuit Winds on Down the Road|Keith Phipps|October 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the end he was left with a disappointing product that bore little of his creative fingerprint.
David Fincher’s Backseat Feminism|Teo Bugbee|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So he bore down on the solemn declaration that she stood face to face with a prison term for perjury.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden
Each picture bore a label, giving a true description of the once-honoured gem.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Haggard merely played for the excitement, and Spunyarn because it was a lesser bore to play than to look on.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
He rose upon it, it was under him, he felt its lift and irresistible momentum; almost it bore him up the steps.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
He bore a distinguished part in the war in South Carolina, and was closely identified with the early history of the state.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell

British Dictionary definitions for bore (1 of 4)

bore¹

/ (bɔː) /

verb

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

noun

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

Old English borian; related to Old Norse bora, Old High German borōn to bore, Latin forāre to pierce, Greek pharos ploughing, phárunx pharynx

British Dictionary definitions for bore (2 of 4)

bore²

/ (bɔː) /

verb

(tr) to tire or make weary by being dull, repetitious, or uninteresting

noun

a dull, repetitious, or uninteresting person, activity, or state

Derived forms of bore

bored, adjective

Word Origin for bore

C18: of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for bore (3 of 4)

bore³

/ (bɔː) /

noun

a high steep-fronted wave moving up a narrow estuary, caused by the tide

Word Origin for bore

C17: from Old Norse bāra wave, billow

British Dictionary definitions for bore (4 of 4)

bore⁴

/ (bɔː) /

verb

the past tense of bear 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for bore

bore

[ bôr ]

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.

bore

OTHER WORDS FOR bore

OPPOSITES FOR bore

Origin of bore

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bore

Words nearby bore

Other definitions for bore (2 of 4)

OTHER WORDS FOR bore

Origin of bore

OTHER WORDS FROM bore

Other definitions for bore (3 of 4)

Origin of bore

Other definitions for bore (4 of 4)

Words related to bore

How to use bore in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bore (1 of 4)

Word Origin for bore

British Dictionary definitions for bore (2 of 4)

Derived forms of bore

Word Origin for bore

British Dictionary definitions for bore (3 of 4)

Word Origin for bore

British Dictionary definitions for bore (4 of 4)

Scientific definitions for bore