Meanings
plural tunnel boring machines
- engineeringA large machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section.
Near-synonym: tunneler
1 more example
Images of the first two Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) under construction for HS2 were released on May 26. Each TBM is 170 metres long and weighs around 2,000 tonnes. Once in use, they will run non-stop for three and a half years, stopping only for Christmas and Bank Holidays.
2020 June 3, “Network News: Vote now to choose names of HS2 Tunnel Boring Machines”, in Rail, page 11
Synonyms & antonyms
Translations
Bengali টানেল বোরিং মেশিন
- টানেল বোরিং মেশিন (ṭanel bōriṅ meśin)a large machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section
Bulgarian тунелопроби́вна маши́на
- тунелопроби́вна маши́на (tuneloprobívna mašína)a large machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section
Catalan tuneladora
- tuneladoraa large machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section
Chinese Mandarin 潛盾機 /潜盾机, 盾構機 /盾构机
- 潛盾機 /潜盾机 (qiándùnjī)a large machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section
- 盾構機 /盾构机 (dùngòujī)a large machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section
Dutch tunnelboormachine, TBM
- tunnelboormachinea large machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section
- TBMa large machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section
French tunnelier
- tunneliera large machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section
German Tunnelbohrmaschine, TBM
- Tunnelbohrmaschinea large machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section
- TBMa large machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section
Hungarian alagútfúrógép
- alagútfúrógépa large machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section
Italian fresa meccanica a piena sezione, talpa
- fresa meccanica a piena sezionea large machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section
- talpaa large machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section
- talpa meccanicaa large machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section
Japanese 全断面トンネル掘進機
- 全断面トンネル掘進機 (zentanmen tonneru kusshinki)a large machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section
Korean 터널굴착기, 터널 전단면 굴착기
- 터널굴착기 (teoneolgulchakgi)a large machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section
- 터널 전단면 굴착기 (teoneol jeondanmyeon gulchakgi)a large machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section
Persian دستگاه حفاری تونل
- دستگاه حفاری تونلa large machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section
Portuguese tuneladora, tatuzão
- tuneladoraa large machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section
- tatuzãoa large machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section
Spanish tuneladora
- tuneladoraa large machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section
Cite this entry
tunnel boring machine. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tunnel%20boring%20machine
“tunnel boring machine.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tunnel%20boring%20machine. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tunnel boring machine,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tunnel%20boring%20machine.
Source: tunnel boring machine on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.