bored; boring
1
: to pierce with a turning or twisting movement of a tool
bore a wooden post
2
: to make by boring or digging away material
bored a tunnel
use a drill to bore a hole through the board
1
a
: to make a hole by or as if by boring
insects that bore into trees
b
: to sink a mine shaft or well
boring for oil
2
: to make one's way steadily especially against resistance
We bored through the jostling crowd.
1
a
: a usually cylindrical hole made by or as if by the turning or twisting movement of a tool : a hole made by or as if by boring (see bore entry 1)
b
chiefly Australia and New Zealand
: a borehole drilled especially to make an artesian well
2
a
: the long usually cylindrical hollow part of something (such as a tube or gun barrel)
b
: the inner surface of a hollow cylindrical object
3
: the size of a bore: such as
a
: the interior diameter of a gun barrel
b
: the diameter of an engine cylinder
bore
3 of 6past tense of bear
: a tidal flood with a high abrupt front
a dangerous bore at the mouth of the Amazon
: one that causes weariness and restlessness through lack of interest : one that causes boredom: such as
a
: a dull or tiresome person
His friends are a bunch of bores.
b
: something that is devoid of interest
The lecture was a total bore.
bored; boring
: to cause to feel weariness and restlessness through lack of interest : to cause to feel boredom
trying not to bore your audience
got bored by the party and left
Synonyms
Examples of bore in a Sentence
Verb (1)
some woodpecker bored holes in our tree in the backyard
with some effort, she bored through the throng of yelling protestors
Noun (3)
for once, the graduation speaker wasn't a real bore
Verb
the professor's lifeless and unimaginative teaching style bored the students to death
Recent Examples on the Web
Stackcommerce Team (sponsored), PCMAG, 27 Oct. 2024
Get ready to reap all the benefits without boring your taste buds.
—Caroline Tien, SELF, 1 Nov. 2024
Dan Phan, The Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2024
The chief thought about what responsibility Washington bore for what was happening in Whitewater; after all, the federal government operated the nation’s immigration system.
—Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bore 
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Verb
Here's an unfortunate fact: Your PowerPoint presentations are probably boring your coworkers.
—Stackcommerce Team (sponsored), PCMAG, 27 Oct. 2024
Get ready to reap all the benefits without boring your taste buds.
—Caroline Tien, SELF, 1 Nov. 2024
Noun
Since 2016, officials studied and selected single bore, receiving federal environmental clearance.
—Dan Phan, The Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2024
The chief thought about what responsibility Washington bore for what was happening in Whitewater; after all, the federal government operated the nation’s immigration system.
—Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bore
Dictionary Entries Near bore
Cite this Entry
“Bore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bore. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bore
1 of 6 verb
ˈbō(ə)r 
ˈbȯ(ə)r
bored; boring
1
: to make a hole in especially with a drill
2
: to make (as a hole shaped like a cylinder) by boring or digging away material
bore a well
3
: to move forward steadily especially by overcoming an opposing force
the plane bored through the storm
bore
2 of 6 noun1
: a hole made by or as if by boring
2
: a cavity (as in a gun barrel) shaped like a cylinder
3
: the diameter of a hole or tube
especially
: the interior diameter of a gun barrel
bore
3 of 6past of bear
bore
4 of 6 noun
: a tidal flood with a high abrupt front
bore
5 of 6 noun
: an uninteresting person or thing
bore
6 of 6 verb
bored; boring
: to make weary and restless by being dull or monotonous
Etymology
Verb
Old English borian "to bore"
Noun
probably of Norse origin
Noun
origin unknown
Medical Definition
bore
1 of 2past of bear
bore
2 of 2 noun1
: the long usually cylindrical hollow part of something (as a tube or artery)
2
: the internal diameter of a tube (as a hypodermic needle, catheter, or sound)
a small-bore catheter
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