full-bore

American

[fool-bawr, -bohr] / ˈfʊlˈbɔr, -ˈboʊr /

adjective

moving or operating at the greatest speed or with maximum power.

adverb

to the fullest extent; with the greatest power, speed, force, etc..

The cars drove full-bore down the straightaway.

Etymology

Origin of full-bore

First recorded in 1660–70, for an earlier sense

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:

full-bore

Oil tankers also won’t immediately resume transiting through the Strait of Hormuz at full-bore even if the U.S.-Iran conflict dies down, adding to pressures propping prices up.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026

It is a full-bore, 2022-like, Leonardo-DiCaprio-in-The-Revenant-style crypto winter — set into motion by factors ranging from excess leverage to widespread profit-taking by OGs,” he said.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 6, 2026

Japan has a tiny Christian majority and Christmas is a secular festival of full-bore consumerism complete with Santa, gifts and streetlights.

From Barron's ● Dec. 3, 2025

Eventually she became a full-bore phillumenist, the technical term for matchbook collectors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2023

Audrey was so worked up, her nostrils flared and her eyes had gone full-bore crazy.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023