borehole

noun

bore·​hole ˈbȯr-ˌhōl 

: a hole bored or drilled in the earth: such as

a

: an exploratory well

b

chiefly British : a small-diameter well drilled especially to obtain water

Examples of borehole in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In an effort to increase the amount of salt water in the wetlands, boreholes were drilled to access subterranean salt water and bring it to the surface. —Bianca Nogrady, WIRED, 19 Mar. 2024

Early analyses also suggest that the small organic acid formate is present in the borehole water. —Quanta Magazine, 4 Jan. 2024

State officials ordered the company to immediately stop taking water for bottling from most of its water-collection tunnels and boreholes at 10 sites, but the order doesn’t cover three other boreholes that capture water. —Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2023

Scientists saw that gas, and a change in pressure, within the boreholes — another indication that magma was on the move toward town. —Robin George Andrews, Quanta Magazine, 20 Feb. 2024

Inside the drilling tent at Skytrain Ice Rise, scientists preparing the drill for its next drop into the borehole. —Laura Paddison, CNN, 8 Feb. 2024

The drilling makes an almighty muddy mess, but when all is said and done, the more than 2,000 boreholes planned for the campus will be undetectable, despite performing an impressive sleight of hand. —Cara Buckley, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2024

Meanwhile, other scientists are currently checking the rock recovered by the boreholes for material suitable for high-precision radiometric dating, which may better constrain the vent’s timing. —Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 4 Oct. 2023

Cornell University has dug a two-mile test geothermal borehole at its Ithaca campus, and is using geoexchange at one of its buildings on Roosevelt Island in New York City’s East River. —Cara Buckley, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1708, in the meaning defined above