bore

present singular third person bores · participle present boring · participle past bored · past bored

1. transitiveTo inspire boredom in somebody.

   to bore someone to death

   3 more examples

   Reading books really bores me; films are much more exciting.

   He bores me with some trick.

   1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i], page 206

   […] used to come and bore me at rare intervals.

   1881, Thomas Carlyle, Reminiscences

   Antonyms: interest

2. transitiveTo make a hole through something.

   I'll believe as soon this whole earth may be bored.

   c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]

   1 more example

   On June 8, 1872, the London & North Western Railway obtained powers to quadruple its main line, and a new tunnel was bored for the up and down slow lines.

   1950 September, “Network News: Watford Tunnel, L.M.R.”, in Railway Magazine, page 641

3. intransitiveTo make a hole with, or as if with, a boring instrument; to cut a circular hole by the rotary motion of a tool.

   to bore for water or oil

   2 more examples

   An insect bores into a tree.

   ‘You give me twelve bob a foot, an’ I’ll bloomin’ quick show you whether I can bore or not.’

   1911, ‘Steel Rudd’, The Book of Dan, Brisbane: University of Queensland Press, published 1970, page 1

4. transitiveTo form or enlarge (something) by means of a boring instrument or apparatus.

   to bore a steam cylinder or a gun barrel; to bore a hole

   1 more example

   short but very powerful jaws, by means whereof the insect can bore […] a cylindrical passage through the most solid wood

   1862, Thaddeus William Harris, A Treatise on Some of the Insects Injurious to Vegetation

5. transitiveTo make (a passage) by laborious effort, as in boring; to force a narrow and difficult passage through.

   to bore one’s way through a crowd

   1 more example

   What bustling crowds I bored.

   [1716], [John] Gay, “Book III. Of Walking the Streets by Night.”, in Trivia: Or, The Art of Walking the Streets of London, London: […] Bernard Lintott, […], →OCLC, page 79

6. intransitiveTo be pierced or penetrated by an instrument that cuts as it turns.

   This timber does not bore well.

7. intransitiveTo glare (as if to drill a hole with the eyes).

   Their eyes bore into my back.

8. slangtransitivehobbiesTo push or drive (a boxer into the ropes, a boat out of its course, etc.).

   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.

   1824, Pierce Egan, Boxiana; Or, Sketches of Ancient and Modern Pugilism, page 600

   1 more example

   Hanlan, it seems, led at about a mile, when Beach's steamer bored him, and to avoid the danger of being swamped, he put on a violent spurt and drew well clear of Beach, getting some lengths lead.

   1885, Tresham Gilbey, Baily's Magazine of Sports and Pastimes, volume 43, page 107

9. intransitiveTo push forward in a certain direction with laborious effort.

   They take their flight […] boring to the west.

   1697, Virgil, “The Third Book of the Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC

10. obsoleteTo fool; to trick.
11. Multicultural London EnglishslangTo inflict a wound upon by means of a knife, to stab.

    I seen guys get bored for an eight-bar

    2026 August 29, “Down for the Count” (1:40 from the start), #RUNITUP (lyrics)

    Synonyms: chef up, juke, jook, ching, ying, shank, splash, juice up

plural bores

1. A hole drilled, bored, or milled through something.

   the bore of a cannon

   1 more example

   the bores of wind-instruments

   1631, Francis [Bacon], “II. Century.”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], 3rd edition, London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], →OCLC, page 53

2. AustraliaA borehole sunk into an artesian basin to provide a source of water.

   Synonyms: artesian bore, artesian well

3. The diameter of such a hole.
   1. especiallyThe diameter of a cylinder in a piston engine or compressor.

      The bore times the stroke times the number of cylinders equals displacement.

4. The tunnel inside of a gun's barrel through which the bullet travels when fired, or (by extension) its diameter.
5. A tool, such as an auger, for making a hole by boring.
6. A capped well drilled to tap artesian water.
   1. The place where such a well exists.
7. One who inspires boredom or lack of interest; an uninteresting person.

   My neighbour is such a bore when he talks about his coin collection.

8. Something dull or uninteresting.

   What a bore that movie was! There was no action, and the dialogue was totally uncreative.

   2 more examples

   It is as great a bore as to hear a poet read his own verses.

   1871, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Passages from the French and Italian Notebooks

   For having submitted my ears to Acutilius for several days (and I think you know his style), I should scarcely have regarded it as a hardship to write you a letter describing his grumblings after patiently enduring the bore (and it was rather a bore, I can tell you) of hearing them.

   1920, Cicero, translated by Evelyn Shirley Shuckburgh, The Letters of Cicero: The Whole Extant Correspondence in Chronological Order, volume 1 (hardcover), London: G. Bell and Sons, Ltd., page 2

9. Calibre; importance.

   Yet are they much too light for the bore of the matter.

   c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene vi]

plural bores

1. 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.

   1898, H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann, page 102

   Synonyms: eagre, tidal bore

1. pastsimple past of bear
2. colloquialparticiplepastpast participle of bear

   […] by altering their course a very little, and easily have bore down abreast of our settlement, without incurring the smallest risk!

   1834, Augustus Earle, A Narrative of a Nine Months' Residence in New Zealand in 1827 […] , pages 345–346

   2 more examples

   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?

   1746, Charles Fearne, Minutes of the proceedings of a court-martial, aſſembled […] , London, page 159

   The end of the 20th century and the start of the new millennium have bore witness to a remarkable revolution in the way parasite/host biological interactions can be conceptually designed and experimentally studied.

   2006 February 10, Karl F. Hoffman, Jennifer M. Fitzpatrick, “The Application of DNA Microarrays in the Functional Study of Schisostome/Host Biology”, in W. Evan Secor, Daniel G. Colley, editors, Schistosomiasis, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN, page 101

3. pastproscribedsimple past of bare

1. A surname.