pore

¹

[ pawr, pohr ]

/ pɔr, poʊr /

WATCH NOW: Pore Over or Pour Over

WATCH NOW: Pore Over or Pour Over

null

MORE VIDEOS FROM DICTIONARY.COM

||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pore ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), pored, por·ing.

to read or study with steady attention or application: a scholar poring over a rare old manuscript.

to gaze earnestly or steadily: to pore over a painting.

to meditate or ponder intently (usually followed by over, on, or upon): He pored over the strange events of the preceding evening.

Nearby words

porcupine fish, porcupine grass, porcupine provisions, porcupine river, porcupinefish, pore, pore fungus, porencephalia, porencephalitis, porencephaly, porgy

Origin of pore

¹

1250–1300; Middle English pouren < ?

SYNONYMS FOR pore

3 ponder, scrutinize, peruse, examine.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pore ON THESAURUS.COM

Can be confusedpause paws pores pours

Definition for pore (2 of 2)

pore

²

[ pawr, pohr ]

/ pɔr, poʊr /

noun

a minute opening or orifice, as in the skin or a leaf, for perspiration, absorption, etc.

a minute interstice, as in a rock.

Origin of pore

²

1350–1400; Middle English poore < Late Latin porus < Greek póros passage; see emporium, ford

Related formspore·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pore

Had there not been photographs and memorabilia to pore over, dancing would have been the only sensible option.
The Cult of Blondie: Debbie Harry’s Very Special New York Picture Show|Tim Teeman|October 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It gave me license to pore over raw tape, again and again, to absorb the subtle clues of human behavior.
We Interrupt This Broadcast: How a TV Producer Learned to Write Fiction|George Lerner|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is great fun to pore over clues and tunnel into a tree trunk like termites, and I am not apologizing for a guilty pleasure.
‘True Detective,’ Obsessive-Compulsive Noir, and ‘Twin Peaks’|Jimmy So|March 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is advice to sift, pore over, and weigh up, with a view to us deciding for ourselves.
John Sutherland‘s Enjoyable Little History of Literature|Malcolm Forbes|November 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The paranoia he unleashed was so overwhelming that it seeped into every pore of society, including the Pendle witch trials.
This Week’s Hot Reads: Sept. 30, 2013|Thomas Flynn, Jimmy So|September 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Nevertheless, he faced Lefty Leach like a chap exuding confidence from every pore.
The New Boys at Oakdale|Morgan Scott
If a man helps hisself to a pore, sick dogie he's hunted down!
The Boy Scouts Book of Campfire Stories|Various
My cattle are so pore I'll have to winter 'em on foothill winter feed.
The Rules of the Game|Stewart Edward White
In some cases the lowermost circle of cells can be approximated so as to close the pore.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various
Old Michael Johnson was much better qualified to pore upon books, and to talk about them, than to trade in them.
The Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches of Lord Macaulay, Vol. 3. (of 4)|Thomas Babington Macaulay

British Dictionary definitions for pore (1 of 2)

pore

¹

/ (pɔː) /

verb (intr)

(foll by over) to make a close intent examination or study (of a book, map, etc)he pored over the documents for several hours

(foll by over, on, or upon) to think deeply (about)he pored on the question of their future

(foll by over, on, or upon) rare to look earnestly or intently (at); gaze fixedly (upon)

Word Origin for pore

C13 pouren; perhaps related to peer ²

xref

See pour

British Dictionary definitions for pore (2 of 2)

pore

²

/ (pɔː) /

noun

anatomy zoology any small opening in the skin or outer surface of an animal

botany any small aperture, esp that of a stoma through which water vapour and gases pass

any other small hole, such as a space in a rock, soil, etc

Word Origin for pore

C14: from Late Latin porus, from Greek poros passage, pore

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

Word Origin and History for pore (1 of 2)

pore

v.

"gaze intently," early 13c., of unknown origin, with no obvious corresponding word in Old French. Perhaps from Old English *purian, suggested by spyrian "to investigate, examine," and spor "a trace, vestige." Related: Pored; poring.

Word Origin and History for pore (1 of 2)

pore

n.

"minute opening," late 14c., from Old French pore (14c.) and directly from Latin porus "a pore," from Greek poros "a pore," literally "passage, way," from PIE *por- "going, passage," from root *per- "to lead, pass over" (see port (n.1)).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for pore

pore

[ pôr ]

n.

A minute opening in an animal or plant tissue.

One of the minute openings of the sweat glands of the skin.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for pore

pore

[ pôr ]

A tiny opening, as one in an animal's skin or on the surface of a plant leaf or stem, through which liquids or gases may pass.

A space in soil, rock, or loose sediment that is not occupied by mineral matter and allows the passage or absorption of fluids, such as water, petroleum, or air.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.