What does "bore" mean?
A hole drilled or milled through something, or (by extension) its diameter.
Bore
/bɔː(ɹ)/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A hole drilled or milled through something, or (by extension) its diameter.
- Grammar: bore is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: dullard, acupunctuation, acupuncture, aegir.
- Useful contrasts: academic personal interest, alive being, amazed.
- Usage evidence: He bore the future of the company on his shoulders.
How to use "bore"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "bore" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "bore" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "bore" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "bore" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "bore" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "dullard" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "bore", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A hole drilled or milled through something, or (by extension) its diameter.
"the bore of a cannon"
- 2 A sudden and rapid flow of tide occurring in certain rivers and estuaries which rolls up as a wave.
"In another moment a huge wave, like a muddy tidal bore, but almost scaldingly hot, came sweeping round the bend up-stream."
- 3 a hole or passage made by a drill; usually made for exploratory purposes wordnet
- 4 The tunnel inside of a gun's barrel through which the bullet travels when fired, or (by extension) its diameter.
- 5 diameter of a tube or gun barrel wordnet
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 A tool, such as an auger, for making a hole by boring.
- 7 a high wave (often dangerous) caused by tidal flow (as by colliding tidal currents or in a narrow estuary) wordnet
- 8 A capped well drilled to tap artesian water.
- 9 a person who evokes boredom wordnet
- 10 A capped well drilled to tap artesian water.; The place where such a well exists.
- 11 One who inspires boredom or lack of interest; an uninteresting person.
"My neighbour is such a bore when he talks about his coin collection."
- 12 Something dull or uninteresting.
"What a bore that movie was! There was no action, and the dialogue was totally uncreative."
- 13 Calibre; importance.
"Yet are they much too light for the bore of the matter."
Verb
- 1 To inspire boredom in somebody. transitive
"to bore someone to death"
- 2 simple past of bear form-of, past
- 3 make a hole, especially with a pointed power or hand tool wordnet
- 4 To make a hole through something. transitive
"I'll believe as soon this whole earth may be bored."
- 5 past participle of bear colloquial, form-of, participle, past
"Q. When the Fireſhip appeared to be going down towards the Real, do you think that the Dorſetſhire could have bore down in Time, to have covered and aſſiſted her?"
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 cause to be bored wordnet
- 7 To make a hole with, or as if with, a boring instrument; to cut a circular hole by the rotary motion of a tool. intransitive
"to bore for water or oil"
- 8 simple past of bare form-of, past, proscribed
- 9 To form or enlarge (something) by means of a boring instrument or apparatus. transitive
"to bore a steam cylinder or a gun barrel; to bore a hole"
- 10 To make (a passage) by laborious effort, as in boring; to force a narrow and difficult passage through. transitive
"to bore one’s way through a crowd"
- 11 To be pierced or penetrated by an instrument that cuts as it turns. intransitive
"This timber does not bore well."
- 12 To glare (as if to drill a hole with the eyes). intransitive
"Their eyes bore into my back."
- 13 To push or drive (a boxer into the ropes, a boat out of its course, etc.). slang, transitive
"The right hand of Curtis was open too much ; but he nevertheless had the best of the hitting in this round, till Inglis bored him down, out of the ropes."
- 14 To push forward in a certain direction with laborious effort. intransitive
"They take their flight […] boring to the west."
- 15 To fool; to trick. obsolete
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"He bore the future of the company on his shoulders."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "bore"?
Common synonyms include: dullard, acupunctuation, acupuncture, aegir, aggravation, annoyance.
How do you use "bore" in a sentence?
He bore the future of the company on his shoulders.
How do you pronounce "bore"?
Pronounced /bɔː(ɹ)/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English boren, from Old English borian (“to pierce”), from Proto-West Germanic *borōn, from Proto-Germanic *burōną. Compare Danish bore, Norwegian Bokmål bore, Dutch boren, German bohren, Old Norse bora. Cognate with Latin forō (“to bore, to pierce”), Latin feriō (“strike, cut”) and Albanian birë (“hole”). Sense of wearying may come from a figurative use such as "to bore the ears"; compare German drillen.
Etymology 2
From Middle English *bore, bare, a borrowing from Old Norse bára (“billow, wave”), from Proto-Germanic *bērō (“that which bears or carries”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to bear”). Cognate with Icelandic bára (“billow, wave”), Faroese bára (“billow, wave”). Doublet of bier.