bore

[bawr, bohr]

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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.

Nearby words

Origin of bore

First recorded in 1760–70; of uncertain origin

SYNONYMS FOR bore

1. fatigue, tire, annoy.

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ANTONYMS FOR bore

1. amuse; thrill, enrapture.

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Can be confusedboar Boer boor boreboard boredboard bored committee council panel trust

bore

[bawr, bohr]

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 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).

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 object or device, such as a bushing or bearing, engine cylinder, or barrel of a gun.

Origin of bore

before 900; Middle English; Old English borian; cognate with Old High German borōn, Old Norse bora, Latin forāre

SYNONYMS FOR bore

1. perforate, drill. 10. caliber.

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Related formsbore·a·ble, bor·a·ble, adjective

bore

⁴

[bawr, bohr]

verb

simple past tense of bear¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bored

Then add in all bored people, as well as people whose job it is to report on celebrities.
Sia and Shia LaBeouf’s Pedophilia Nontroversy Over ‘Elastic Heart’|Marlow Stern|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I was bored, but I grabbed a red Solo cup, filled it with beer, and stayed with my group, chatting with the brothers about Jim.
I Was Gang Raped at a UVA Frat 30 Years Ago, and No One Did Anything|Liz Seccuro|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I was suddenly so bored," he confesses, "I was underworked and overpaid.
House of the Witch: The Renegade Craft Brewers of Panama|Jeff Campagna|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"Then I came back to Panama again, sat down at my desk and was bored as hell," he says.
House of the Witch: The Renegade Craft Brewers of Panama|Jeff Campagna|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It was full of the sorts of people I used to be when I watched him on MuchMusic—bored, greasy-fingered teenagers.
Canada’s Subversive Sock Puppet: Ed the Sock Isn’t Afraid to Say Anything|Soraya Roberts|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I'd be bored to death if I weren't so excited over the wonderful sleep I'm to have.
What Will People Say?|Rupert Hughes
To be bored was to his mind the uttermost depth of misfortune.
The American Baron|James De Mille
Bored with the street's length; she turned off, and was suddenly in Hanover Square.
Saint's Progress|John Galsworthy
"I couldn't be bored where you are, girlie," he whispered tenderly.
Captivity|M. Leonora Eyles
It bored him, and he was no toady to waste his time fawning upon possible patrons.
Great Men and Famous Women, Vol. 8 (of 8)|Various

British Dictionary definitions for bored

bore

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

bore

verb

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

noun

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

Derived Formsbored, adjective

Word Origin for bore

C18: of unknown origin

bore

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

bore

⁴

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

Word Origin and History for bored

bored

adj.

1823, past participle adjective from bore (v.) in the figurative sense.

Society is now one polished horde,
Formed of two mighty tribes, the Bores and Bored.
[Byron, "Don Juan," 1823]

bore

v.1

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.

bore

v.2

past tense of bear (v.).

bore

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]

Science definitions for bored

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

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

noun

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Origin of bore

bore

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

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

noun

Origin of bore

bore

verb

Examples from the Web for bored

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Word Origin for bore

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