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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.
Synonyms

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.


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.


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.


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.


Gore 5 American  
[gawr-ey, gohr-ey] / ˈgɔr eɪ, ˈgoʊr eɪ /

noun

  1. a city in W Ethiopia.


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

"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

verb

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

"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
gore 2 British  
/ ɡɔː /

noun

  1. blood shed from a wound, esp when coagulated

  2. informal killing, fighting, etc

"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

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

"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

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

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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.

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Vocabulary lists containing gore

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.

Labrada Gore, a content creator who promotes ancestral health online as Holistic Hilda, said she learned about glyphosate nearly a decade ago and hasn’t shopped the same way since.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

Veteran third-choice keeper Tom Heaton, 40, and midfielder Dan Gore, 21, a regular starter in his second loan spell at relegated League One side Rotherham United, are also out of contract.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

"We should be preparing for the loss of knowledge work jobs in a number of categories," warned former US vice president Al Gore.

From Barron's • Apr. 12, 2026

Freshly-acquired MacKenzie Gore should add length to the Rangers’ rotation, while former Vanderbilt teammates Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker will have an opportunity to establish themselves as formidable major league starters.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

I find it hard to believe, because Mr. Gore is very thin and fragile-looking, but he is tall.

From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick

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