boring
1 Americanadjective
noun
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borings
plural
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Machinery.
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the act or process of making or enlarging a hole.
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the hole so made.
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Geology. a cylindrical sample of earth strata obtained by boring a vertical hole.
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borings, the chips, fragments, or dust produced in boring.
noun
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the act or process of making or enlarging a hole
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the hole made in this way
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(often plural) a fragment, particle, chip, etc, produced during boring
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of boring1
First recorded in 1835–45; bore 1 + -ing 2
Origin of boring2
Explanation
As an adjective boring describes something (or someone) that is tedious, dull, and lacking in interest. As a noun, boring refers to the act of drilling a hole, or the hole itself. When a geologist's powerful drill makes a boring into the earth, you can remove a sample and learn about the history of our planet just by seeing what's contained in the boring's layers. Of course, if you aren't interested in that kind of thing, you might find a two-hour lecture on the subject a bit boring.
Vocabulary lists containing boring
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"Everyone is now talking about what would have been another boring product."
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
We thought this was going to be unwatchably boring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The lack of conflict that might have been created on a conventional news channel renders his impromptu network interminably boring.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
The bond market has a reputation for being boring.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 26, 2026
He did that for a while, but it was boring, and it didn't make big muscles at all.
From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry
The district proposes to make 226 borings and dig 57 test pits into the Earth across 2,500 cubic yards, according to the project description.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2022
Maryland officials, however, say pre-construction work, such as soil borings along the route in downtown Bethesda, is proceeding while they appeal the court order.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 14, 2016
The Vancouver, British Columbia-based company wants to use existing roads to access 14 locations to drill test borings to determine the possible value of its copper mining claim.
From Washington Times ● May 26, 2016
The company seeks to use existing roads to access 14 locations to drill test borings about 1,000 feet deep and a few inches across to assess the possible value of its copper-mining claim.
From Seattle Times ● May 25, 2016
And Odysseus took his time, turning the bow, tapping it, every inch, for borings that termites might have made while the master of the weapon was abroad.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
