borehole

[ bawr-hohl, bohr- ]

noun

, Mining.

1. a hole drilled in the earth, as for the purpose of extracting a core, releasing gas, oil, water, etc.

borehole

/ ˈbɔːˌhəʊl /

noun

1. a hole driven into the ground to obtain geological information, release water, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of borehole¹

First recorded in 1700–10; bore ² + hole

Example Sentences

People and livestock crowded around hand-pumped boreholes to find water, but the wells soon went dry.

From MIT Technology Review

A company drilling for natural gas 2 miles below the surface on the island saw a borehole suddenly lose pressure before filling with liquid.

From Vox

When the petroleum company that had drilled many of these wells folded in the 1990s, as many did when crude prices bottomed out after the Gulf War, the open boreholes left behind became the responsibility of the state.

From Washington Post

To that end, they have tunneled kilometers below Earth’s surface, drilling outward from the bottoms of mine shafts and sinking boreholes deep into ocean sediments.

From Quanta Magazine

Until a final resting place can be decided, temporary repositories—like the Holtec facility or Deep Isolation’s proposed boreholes—are appealing options for corralling the waste.

From MIT Technology Review

A small charge of high explosives is then pushed up to the end of the borehole and fired.

From Project Gutenberg

This of course cannot be seen in a borehole or very small section.

From Project Gutenberg

The borehole is charged with the explosive to be fired, and the temperature is regulated by means of the steam pipe.

From Project Gutenberg