bore

1 of 6

verb (1)

bored; boring

transitive verb

1
: to pierce with a turning or twisting movement of a tool
bore a wooden post
2
: to make by boring or digging away material
bored a tunnel
use a drill to bore a hole through the board

intransitive verb

1
a
: to make a hole by or as if by boring
insects that bore into trees
b
: to sink a mine shaft or well
boring for oil
2
: to make one's way steadily especially against resistance
We bored through the jostling crowd.

bore

2 of 6

noun (1)

1
a
: a usually cylindrical hole made by or as if by the turning or twisting movement of a tool : a hole made by or as if by boring (see bore entry 1)
b
chiefly Australia and New Zealand : a borehole drilled especially to make an artesian well
2
a
: the long usually cylindrical hollow part of something (such as a tube or gun barrel)
b
: the inner surface of a hollow cylindrical object
3
: the size of a bore: such as
a
: the interior diameter of a gun barrel
especially, chiefly British : gauge sense 1a(2)
a .22 bore revolver
b
: the diameter of an engine cylinder

bore

3 of 6

past tense of bear

bore

4 of 6

noun (2)

: a tidal flood with a high abrupt front
a dangerous bore at the mouth of the Amazon

bore

5 of 6

noun (3)

: one that causes weariness and restlessness through lack of interest : one that causes boredom: such as
a
: a dull or tiresome person
His friends are a bunch of bores.
b
: something that is devoid of interest
The lecture was a total bore.

bore

6 of 6

verb

bored; boring

transitive verb

: to cause to feel weariness and restlessness through lack of interest : to cause to feel boredom
trying not to bore your audience
got bored by the party and left

Examples of bore in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
But for about 20 minutes, the public bore witness to the warmhearted counsel of a Black father — a figure that is often caricatured in or disappeared from America’s family portraits. Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 20 Feb. 2024 The victims all succumbed to a strange illness after taking an ice bore sample that contained a dormant worm that attaches itself to its hosts, and the members of the team sent to investigate could be next. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 10 Sep. 2023 The simple experiment bore fruit, bumping positive interactions with drivers by 30% on buses where signs were posted. Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Feb. 2024 But while Aaron Sorkin’s Broadway revival of the classic King Arthur musical earlier this year was a bit of a bore, the new iteration of the Monty Python funfest is a welcome dose of both hilarious deconstruction and old-fashioned razzle-dazzle. EW.com, 17 Nov. 2023 Another challenge was the British horsepower tax for economy based on an engine’s bore size. David Krumboltz, The Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2024 Ah, but as is the case in any year, 2023 bore witness to the end of a few eras, too, most significantly Sarah Burton’s at Alexander McQueen. José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 4 Dec. 2023 If McKinstry and Arnold are the hinges of the machine that is the Tide secondary, Downs is the bore. Kevin Skiver, Detroit Free Press, 1 Jan. 2024 And though not all 10 shows (and various bonuses) on my mostly chronological list below fit that mongrel category, even the gravest of them seem to have gotten the memo that theater should not be a bore or a drag. Elisabeth Vincentelli, New York Times, 4 Dec. 2023
Verb
In trials, millimeter waves have bored holes through granite, basalt, sandstone, and limestone. IEEE Spectrum, 12 Mar. 2024 But little of what followed bore much resemblance to a typical campaign speech. Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 Draw them in with an engaging document, not a dry thesis ready to bore. April Rudin, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 The steep slope is being reinforced with four rows of tiebacks that are being bored into the hillside and stabilized with cables connected to concrete beams. Erika I. Ritchie, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 Constellation hits the ground running so quickly there’s no time, at first, to be bored. Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2024 Tips on children and screen time Focusing on educational and creative activity in the car, when children might otherwise be bored, is really important, child development experts told the Free Press. Detroit Free Press, 13 Feb. 2024 The look of being too deliberately dressed, with everything cautiously matching, always bores me. Babe Paley, Vogue, 12 Feb. 2024 Consumers are bored with traditional marketing, so companies want to try different approaches to stimulate interest among the younger generation especially, Jung said. Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bore.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English boren, going back to Old English borian, going back to Germanic *bur-ō- (whence Old High German borōn "to pierce," Old Norse bora), probably verbal derivative of a noun base bur- "tool for piercing" (whence Old English bor "chiseling instrument," Old High German bora); akin to Latin forāre "to bore," ferīre "to strike"

Noun (1)

Middle English, "hole, perforation," in part noun derivative of boren "to bore entry 1," in part borrowed from Old Norse bora "borehole," derivative of bora "to bore"

Noun (2)

Middle English *bore wave, from Old Norse bāra

Noun (3)

of uncertain origin

Note: Plausibly a derivative of the verb bore entry 6, if this was a sense development of bore entry 1 ("to drill, wear at" & "to induce ennui"); however, the noun, a vogue word among London political and cultural figures in the 1760's, appears to predate the verb.

Verb

perhaps verbal derivative of bore entry 5 if the noun is earlier

Note: See note at bore entry 5.

First Known Use

Verb (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1601, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1766, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1768, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bore was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near bore

Cite this Entry

“Bore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bore. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bore

1 of 6 verb
ˈbō(ə)r How to pronounce bore (audio)
ˈbȯ(ə)r
bored; boring
1
: to make a hole in especially with a drill
2
: to make (as a hole shaped like a cylinder) by boring or digging away material
bore a well
3
: to move forward steadily especially by overcoming an opposing force
the plane bored through the storm

bore

2 of 6 noun
1
: a hole made by or as if by boring
2
: a cavity (as in a gun barrel) shaped like a cylinder
3
: the diameter of a hole or tube
especially : the interior diameter of a gun barrel

bore

3 of 6

past of bear

bore

4 of 6 noun
: a tidal flood with a high abrupt front

bore

5 of 6 noun
: an uninteresting person or thing

bore

6 of 6 verb
bored; boring
: to make weary and restless by being dull or monotonous
Etymology

Verb

Old English borian "to bore"

Noun

probably of Norse origin

Noun

origin unknown

Medical Definition

bore

1 of 2

past of bear

bore

2 of 2 noun
1
: the long usually cylindrical hollow part of something (as a tube or artery)
2
: the internal diameter of a tube (as a hypodermic needle, catheter, or sound)
a small-bore catheter

Legal Definition

bore

past of bear

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