borer

[ bawr-er, bohr- ]
See synonyms for borer on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person or thing that bores or pierces.

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

  1. Zoology.

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

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

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

Origin of borer

1
Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; see origin at bore2, -er1

Words Nearby borer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use borer in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for borer

borer

/ (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

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