Synonyms of bore

bore 1 of 3

verb (1)

ˈbȯr 

1

as in to drill

to make a hole or series of holes in

some woodpecker bored holes in our tree in the backyard

Synonyms & Similar Words

• drill
• pierce
• punch
• poke
• puncture
• hole
• perforate
• tap
• cut
• penetrate
• riddle
• prick
• hollow
• broach
• break
• gouge
• excavate
• split
• slit
• slash
• rupture
• groove
• prickle
• rend
• notch
• burrow (into)
• gash

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fill
• patch
• seal
• plug

2

as in to push

to force one's way

with some effort, she bored through the throng of yelling protestors

Synonyms & Similar Words

• push
• squeeze
• bull
• elbow
• shove
• muscle
• shoulder
• press
• thrust
• jam
• crash
• jostle
• bulldoze
• ram

bore

2 of 3

verb (2)

as in to weary

to make weary and restless by being dull or monotonous

the professor's lifeless and unimaginative teaching style bored the students to death

Synonyms & Similar Words

• weary
• tire
• drain
• wear
• exhaust
• discourage
• put to sleep
• jade
• pall
• burn out
• fatigue
• wear out
• debilitate
• enervate
• dishearten
• wash out
• enfeeble
• disable
• tucker (out)
• deject
• demoralize
• fag
• dispirit
• do in

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• busy
• engage
• interest
• grip
• absorb
• excite
• stimulate
• strengthen
• fascinate
• entertain
• amuse
• attract
• intrigue
• activate
• enliven
• animate
• energize
• galvanize
• invigorate
• charm
• engross
• occupy
• involve
• busy
• monopolize
• enthrall
• beguile
• captivate
• vitalize
• stir
• immerse
• rouse
• hypnotize
• bewitch
• enchant
• mesmerize
• preoccupy
• allure
• rally
• pump up

bore

3 of 3

noun

as in yawn

someone or something boring

for once, the graduation speaker wasn't a real bore

Synonyms & Similar Words

• yawn
• drip
• drag
• snooze
• yawner
• snoozer
• dullsville
• droner
• downer
• nudnik
• pill
• bromide
• bummer

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• blast
• rush
• gas
• upper
• kick

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of bore

Verb

That said, woodpeckers are attracted to other types of wood-boring insects, and woodpecker activity doesn’t always indicate that borers are present. — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Aug. 2026

The popular Korean drama Flex X Cop, whose full first season and episode one of season two drop on August 7, centers on Jin I-soo, who is an immature heir to a massive company and is bored with his job. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 7 Aug. 2026

Noun

Such fraudulence bore only poisoned fruit, swelling overseas bank accounts for the Manchurian candidates who were seeding duplicity into the loam of their nation’s imagination. — Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026

Female flies bore into the fig to lay their eggs, which hatch out as larvae inside the fruit and eat the unripe insides before burrowing their way out. — Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026