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Synonyms

lore

1 American  
[lawr, lohr] / lɔr, loʊr /

noun

  1. the body of knowledge, especially of a traditional, anecdotal, or popular nature, on a particular subject.

    the lore of herbs.
    Synonyms:
    wisdom

  2. learning, knowledge, or erudition.

  3. Archaic.

    1. the process or act of teaching; instruction.

    2. something that is taught; lesson.

lore 2 American  
[lawr, lohr] / lɔr, loʊr /

noun

Zoology.

  1. the space between the eye and the bill of a bird, or a corresponding space in other animals, as snakes.

lore 1 British  
/ lɔː /

noun

  1. collective knowledge or wisdom on a particular subject, esp of a traditional nature

  2. knowledge or learning

  3. archaic teaching, or something that is taught

"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
lore 2 British  
/ lɔː /

noun

  1. the surface of the head of a bird between the eyes and the base of the bill

  2. the corresponding area in a snake or fish

"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

Related Words

See learning.

Other Word Forms

  • loreless adjective

Etymology

Origin of lore1

First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English lār; cognate with Dutch leer, German Lehre “teaching”; learn

Origin of lore2

First recorded in 1615–25; from New Latin lōrum, special use of Latin lōrum “thong, strap”

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.

As an X-file from an earlier era, when fringe theories about UFOs, crop circles or the Loch Ness monster were quarantined as tabloid fodder, the lore around the wilderness footage seems quaint by today’s standards.

From The Wall Street Journal

The story of Will Smith cracking the code to becoming one of the world’s biggest movie stars is a staple of Hollywood lore, but in case you’ve never heard of it, here’s the short version.

From Salon

Growing up in a household steeped in the lore of the TPLF, she was raised on stories of her father's sacrifices from 50 years ago fighting the Mengistu regime.

From BBC

A penthouse in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood has been the subject of local lore for almost two decades, largely thanks to its four-story slide.

From The Wall Street Journal

As a result, it unfolds as if the viewer is already intimate with a franchise’s culture and lore, dropping us smack into the thick of things with little, if any, context.

From Los Angeles Times

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.