borer

American  

[bawr-er, bohr-] / ˈbɔr ər, ˈboʊr- /

noun

1. a person or thing that bores or pierces.

2. Machinery. a tool used for boring; auger.

3. Zoology.

   1. any of several insects that bore into trees, fruits, etc., especially a beetle that bores into the woody part of plants.

   2. any of various mollusks, worms, etc., that bore into wood, stone, coral, or shells.

4. a marsipobranch fish, as a hagfish, that bores into other fishes to feed on their flesh.

---

borer British  

/ ˈbɔːrə /

noun

1. a machine or hand tool for boring holes

2. any of various insects, insect larvae, molluscs, or crustaceans that bore into rock or plant material, esp wood See also woodborer corn borer marine borer rock borer

---

Etymology

Origin of borer

Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; see origin at bore ², -er ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

borer

Ideally, he'd plant a variety that could resist the coffee berry borer, a beetle that feasts on coffee cherries, and that would ripen with greater uniformity.

From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2024

The goldspotted oak borer is just 14 miles from the Santa Monica Mountains’ 600,000 oak trees and threatens to devastate forests throughout California, harming wildlife and increasing fire risks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2024

Durbin described the goldspotted oak borer as “just like a cancer.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2024

Christine Buhl, a forest health specialist for the Oregon Department of Forestry, plunges a tool called an increment borer into the dead tree’s trunk.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 17, 2023

There the root borer is a serious pest of the banana, so weakening its roots that the trees are easily toppled by wind.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson