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• gore
  gore

  noun

  blood that is shed, especially when clotted.
• Gore
  Gore

  noun

  Albert Arnold, Jr. Al, born 1948, U.S. politician: vice president of the U.S. 1993–2001.

gore

¹ American  

[gawr, gohr] / gɔr, goʊr /

noun

1. blood that is shed, especially when clotted.

2. murder, bloodshed, violence, etc..

   That horror movie had too much gore.

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gore ² American  

[gawr, gohr] / gɔr, goʊr /

verb (used with object)

gored, goring

1. to pierce with or as if with a horn or tusk.

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gore ³ American  

[gawr, gohr] / gɔr, goʊr /

noun

1. a triangular piece of material inserted in a garment, sail, etc., to give it greater width or a desired shape.

2. one of the panels, usually tapering or shaped, making up a garment, as a skirt.

3. a triangular tract of land, especially one lying between larger divisions.

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verb (used with object)

gored, goring

1. to make or furnish with a gore or gores.

Gore ⁴ American  

[gawr, gohr] / gɔr, goʊr /

noun

1. Albert Arnold, Jr. Al, born 1948, U.S. politician: vice president of the U.S. 1993–2001.

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Gore ⁵ American  

[gawr-ey, gohr-ey] / ˈgɔr eɪ, ˈgoʊr eɪ /

noun

1. a city in W Ethiopia.

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gore ¹ British  

/ ɡɔː /

noun

1. a tapering or triangular piece of material used in making a shaped skirt, umbrella, etc

2. a similarly shaped piece, esp of land

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verb

1. (tr) to make into or with a gore or gores

gore ² British  

/ ɡɔː /

noun

1. blood shed from a wound, esp when coagulated

2. informal killing, fighting, etc

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Gore ³ British  

/ ɡɔː /

noun

1. Al ( bert ) Jr. born 1948, US Democrat politician; vice president of the US (1993–2001); defeated in the disputed presidential election of 2000; leading environmental campaigner; shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with the Intergovernmental Panel For Climate Change

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gore ⁴ British  

/ ɡɔː /

verb

1. (tr) (of an animal, such as a bull) to pierce or stab (a person or another animal) with a horn or tusk

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Other Word Forms

• gored
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of gore¹

First recorded in before 900; Middle English gor(r)e “filth, moral filth,” Old English gor “dung, bull dung, dirt”; cognate with Dutch goor, Old High German gor “filth,” Old Norse gor “cud”

Origin of gore²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English gor(r)en “to pierce, stab,” derivative of gōre “spear, javelin, dart,” from Old English gār spear, shaft, arrow”; see also gore ³

Origin of gore³

First recorded before 900; Middle English gor(e), gar(e) “triangular piece of land, triangular piece of cloth,” Old English gāra “triangular piece of land, corner” (cognate with German Gehre “gusset”); akin to Old English gār “spear”; see gore ² ( def. )

Explanation

Do you like horror movies? Then you probably like gore: bloody, yucky, violent action. Gore certainly includes the bloody violence in zombie movies, but it can also refer to real-life violence, especially bloodshed and murder. If you stabbed someone with a sword, you gored them. An animal with sharp horns, like a bull, can gore a person to death. Gore is also blood that's clotting in a wound. An un-bloody, unrelated meaning of gore is a triangle-shaped piece of cloth used in making umbrellas, sails, and some clothes.

Example Sentences

And now, just shy of his 40th birthday, Coogler is an Oscar winner, for best original screenplay for horror period piece "Sinners," an unlikely mash-up of racial segregation, Southern blues and vampire-fueled gore.

From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026

In horror, more is more — more gore, more jump scares, more shadowed silhouettes; all in service of scaring the viewer.

From Salon • Mar. 15, 2026

But it’s also a vampire movie, full of fangs, gore and garlic, and it’s there where Mr. Coogler falters.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026

If you can’t stomach the gore and anxiety in a typical Halloween show or movie, you will enjoy a lighter ride with an upbeat baking show.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 27, 2025

I took my head off his shoulder for a moment to get a break from the gore and watched Augustus watch the movie.

From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green