bore
bore Lexical Profile
bore Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A dull, tiresome, or uninteresting person, activity, or situation.
"Waiting in line at the post office for an hour was an absolute bore."
The hollow cylindrical interior of a tube, pipe, engine cylinder, or firearm barrel, or its internal diameter (caliber).
"The mechanic measured the cylinder bore to check for engine wear."
A steep-fronted wave caused by the meeting of two tides or by the constriction of a rising tide rushing up a narrow estuary or river.
"Spectators gathered along the riverbank to watch the powerful tidal bore surge upstream."
• verb
To make someone feel weary and uninterested by being dull, tedious, or repetitive.
"The speaker's monotonous delivery began to bore the audience within minutes."
To make a hole in or through something with a drill, auger, or other rotating tool, or by digging.
"Engineers used massive machinery to bore a tunnel through the mountain."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse with its homophone 'boar', which refers to an uncastrated male pig or wild swine. Additionally, 'bore' also serves as the irregular past tense of the verb 'bear' (e.g., 'she bore the burden').
• Rhymes for bore
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The sense meaning 'to pierce a hole' comes from Old English borian, of Germanic origin. The sense meaning 'to weary by dullness' arose in the late 18th century of uncertain origin, possibly as a figurative extension of the slow, repetitive action of drilling.