Definition of auger
:any of various tools or devices with a helical shaft or part that are used for boring holes (as in wood, soil, or ice) or moving loose material (such as snow)
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Recent Examples of auger from the Web
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Scientists wrestled with the bulky power auger as its stainless steel tube worked its way into the hard permafrost.
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Scientists wrestled with the bulky power auger as its stainless steel tube worked its way into the hard permafrost.
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Scientists wrestled with the bulky power auger as its stainless steel tube worked its way into the hard permafrost.
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Scientists wrestled with the bulky power auger as its stainless-steel tube worked its way into the hard permafrost.
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Each team used a combination of drills, augers and an excavator to get the work done.
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Carlson-Wee is a fan of auger, golem, zcash and monero.
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A central auger slowly turns to agitate and aerate the mix and fans continually run to dry it down.
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Heating and turning both the auger and fans does consume energy.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'auger.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
The tool called an auger has nothing to do with people’s navels, but the words auger and navel are related. This tool was first used to bore a hole for the axle in the nave, or hub, of a wheel. Such a nave was called nafu in Old English. Nafu is related to the word nafela, which became our word navel. The Old English ancestor of auger was nafogar, which was made up of nafu and gar, meaning “spear.” By Middle English nafogar had lost a syllable and shrunk to nauger. Since a nauger sounds like an auger, people began to write an auger, and our modern spelling of the word was born.
Illustration of auger
AUGER Defined for English Language Learners
auger
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noun
Definition of auger for English Language Learners
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: a sharp tool that is used chiefly for making holes
AUGER Defined for Kids
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See words that rhyme with auger Spanish Central: Translation of auger Nglish: Translation of auger for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about auger
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