Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense bores, present participle boring, past tense, past participle bored
1. verb
If someone or something bores you, you find them dull and uninteresting.
Dickie bored him all through the meal with stories of the Navy. [VERB noun + with]
Life in the country bores me. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: tire, exhaust, annoy, fatigue More Synonyms of bore
2.
See bore to tears/bore to death/bore stiff
3. countable noun
You describe someone as a bore when you think that they talk in a very uninteresting way.
There is every reason why I shouldn't enjoy his company–he's a bore and a fool.
Synonyms: nuisance, pain [informal], drag [informal], headache [informal] More Synonyms of bore
4. singular noun
You can describe a situation as a bore when you find it annoying.
It's a bore to be sick, and the novelty of lying in bed all day wears off quickly.
5. verb
If you bore a hole in something, you make a deep round hole in it using a special tool.
Get the special drill bit to bore the correct-size hole for the job. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: drill, mine, sink, tunnel More Synonyms of bore
6. verb
If someone's eyes boreinto you, they stare intensely at you.
[written]
Her eyes seemed to bore a hole in mine. [V n in n]
7. countable noun [usually supplement NOUN]
A bore is a very large wave that moves quickly up certain rivers from the sea at particular times of the year as a result of unusual tides.
8.
Bore is the past tense of bear1.
9. See also bored, boring
More Synonyms of bore
-bore
(-bɔːʳ)
combining form [ADJECTIVE noun]
-bore combines with numbers to form adjectives which indicate the size of the barrel of a gun.
He had a 12-bore shotgun.
bore in British English1
(bɔː)
verb
1.
to produce (a hole) in (a material) by use of a drill, auger, or other cutting tool
2.
to increase the diameter of (a hole), as by an internal turning operation on a lathe or similar machine
3. (transitive)
to produce (a hole in the ground, tunnel, mine shaft, etc) by digging, drilling, cutting, etc
4. (intransitive) informal
(of a horse or athlete in a race) to push other competitors, esp in order to try to get them out of the way
noun
5.
a hole or tunnel in the ground, esp one drilled in search of minerals, oil, etc
6.
a.
a circular hole in a material produced by drilling, turning, or drawing
b.
the diameter of such a hole
7.
a.
the hollow part of a tube or cylinder, esp of a gun barrel
b.
the diameter of such a hollow part; calibre
8. Australian
an artesian well
Word origin
Old English borian; related to Old Norse bora, Old High German borōn to bore, Latin forāre to pierce, Greek pharos ploughing, phárunxpharynx
bore in British English2
(bɔː)
verb
1. (transitive)
to tire or make weary by being dull, repetitious, or uninteresting
noun
2.
a dull, repetitious, or uninteresting person, activity, or state
Derived forms
bored
adjective
Word origin
C18: of unknown origin
bore in British English3
(bɔː)
noun
a high steep-fronted wave moving up a narrow estuary, caused by the tide
Word origin
C17: from Old Norse bāra wave, billow
bore in British English4
(bɔː)
verb
the past tense of bear1
bore in American English1
(bɔr)
verb transitiveWord forms: bored or ˈboring
1.
to make a hole in or through with a drill or other rotating tool
2.
to make (a hole, tunnel, well, etc.) by or as by drilling
3.
to force (one's way), as through a crowd
4.
to weary by being dull, uninteresting, or monotonous
verb intransitive
5.
to bore a hole or passage
6.
to be drilled by a tool
soft materials bore easily
7.
to move forward slowly but steadily, as if by boring
8.
to become weary and disinterested
noun
9.
a hole made by or as by boring
10.
a.
the hollow part inside a tube, pipe, or cylinder, as of a gun barrel
b.
the inside diameter of such a hollow part; gauge; caliber
11.
a tiresome, dull person or thing
Word origin
ME boren < OE borian, to bore < bor, auger < IE base *bher-, to cut with a sharp point > Gr *pharein, to split, L forare, to bore, ferire, to cut, kill
bore in American English2
(bɔr)
noun
a high wall of moving water caused by a very rapid rise of the tide in shallow, narrow channels
Word origin
ME bare, a wave < ON bara, a billow < IE *bhoros < base *bher- > bear1
bore in American English3
(bɔr)
verb transitive, verb intransitive
pt. of
bear1
bore in Automotive Engineering1
(bɔr)
Word forms: (regular plural) bores
noun
(Automotive engineering: Vehicle components, Engine, transmission, and exhaust)
The bore is the internal diameter of the cylinder of an engine or pump.
The engine is a three-liter unit with an 83 x 90mm bore and stroke.
The four-cylinder, four-stroke engine has a bore of 80 mm.
The thin-wall cylinders were used to achieve the 2.8-liter displacement with a 92-mmbore.
bore in Automotive Engineering2
(bɔr)
Word forms: (regular plural) bores
noun
(Automotive engineering: Vehicle components, Engine, transmission, and exhaust)
The bore is the cylinder wall of an engine.
COLLOCATIONS: cylinder ~
The engine has new cylinder heads and pistons fitted to a smaller aluminum blockwith larger cylinder bores.
Lubricate the cylinder bores with a light spray of oil into each plug hole.
While removing the spring assembly, be careful not to scratch the bore of the cylinder.
bore in Automotive Engineering3
(bɔr)
Word forms: (present) bores, (past) bored, (perfect) bored, (progressive) boring
verb
(Automotive engineering: Vehicle components, Engine, transmission, and exhaust)
If you bore a hole in something, you make a deep round hole in it using a special tool.
COLLOCATIONS: ~ a hole
You'll have to bore a hole in the engine mounting.
“We bore a big hole, but drill a smaller one,” the machinist explained.
The machinist bored an 8cm hole.
bore in Automotive Engineering4
(bɔr)
Word forms: (present) bores, (past) bored, (perfect) bored, (progressive) boring
verb
(Automotive engineering: Vehicle components, Engine, transmission, and exhaust)
If you bore a cylinder in an engine, you increase the size of the cylinder bore to accept the piston, and so increase displacement.
COLLOCATIONS: ~ the cylinder
Next, bore the cylinder to fit the piston in.
Remove the cylinder and bore it to the precise dimensions to obtain proper piston clearance.
He had to bore the cylinder to accept the oversize piston.
bore in Mechanical Engineering
(bɔr)
Word forms: (regular plural) bores
noun
(Mechanical engineering: Manufacturing and assembly)
A bore is a circular hole in a material produced by drilling, turning, or drawing.
Drill a bore of 100mm diameter into the workpiece.
The eyebolt is threaded into a bore in the metal.
A bore is a circular hole in a material produced by drilling, turning, or drawing.
boring
More idioms containing
bore
bore the pants off someone
Examples of 'bore' in a sentence
bore
He belongs to a generation that gets bored easily and has no interest in delayed gratification.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Either he gets bored quickly or he has unending curiosity.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
That may have been true when most jobs were boring and tiring.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
There would be boring bits and ugly people with bad teeth.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
England players have become bored there.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
His job bored him, but left ample time for the writing he wanted to do.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
I am not one to talk all the time; people get bored and no one listens.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
I'm easily bored in relationships?
The Sun (2016)
Bosses today are hostages to the minuscule attention span of modern society, where fans get bored easily and often want change for change's sake.
The Sun (2016)
You are easily bored by the same routine and crave variety.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
New players fail to spark in bore draw.
The Sun (2012)
Why should it be regrettable if people say bored of rather than bored with or bored by?
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The bore was one of the highest for about nine years.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The whole thing bores me to tears.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
He was bored talking about his throwing three years ago and we are still talking.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
You will need some outside space suitable for digging a trench or bore hole.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
She could be somebody who people get bored with very quickly.
The Sun (2010)
There is really no need to be bored these days as there is so much going on.
Stewart, Dr Alan & Stewart, Maryon The Vitality Diet (1990)
Not a bird that gets bored easily.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
These two have only met three times before with the first two encounters ending in goalless bore draws.
The Sun (2010)
It can get a bit boring on the road so we like to make it interesting for ourselves.
The Sun (2012)
Life is boring if it's not challenging.
The Sun (2014)
He said: 'I got that bored.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Such was the determination of Croatia to press ahead it considered boring a tunnel beneath Bosnia or under the sea.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
South Australian officials surveyed UK workers and found almost two thirds are bored with their jobs.
The Sun (2010)
Quotations
Bore: a person who talks when you wish him to listenAmbrose BierceThe Devil's Dictionary
The way to be a bore is to say everythingVoltaireSept Discours en vers sur l'Homme
He was not only a bore; he bored for EnglandMalcolm MuggeridgeTread Softly (writing of Sir Anthony Eden)
A bore is a man who, when you ask him how he is, tells youBert Leston TaylorThe So-Called Human Race
A healthy male adult bore consumes each year one and a half times his own weight in other people's patienceJohn UpdikeConfessions of a Wild Bore
Some people can stay longer in an hour than others can in a weekW.D. Howells
In other languages
bore
British English: bore /bɔː/ VERB
person If someone or something bores you, you find them dull and uninteresting.
He bored her all through the meal with stories of the Navy.
American English: bore
Arabic: يـُمْلِل على
Brazilian Portuguese: entediar
Chinese: 烦扰
Croatian: dosađivati
Czech: nudit
Danish: kede
Dutch: vervelen
European Spanish: aburrir
Finnish: ikävystyttää
French: ennuyer
German: langweilen
Greek: προκαλώ ανία
Italian: annoiare
Japanese: 穴をあける
Korean: 구멍을 뚫다
Norwegian: bore
Polish: zanudzić
European Portuguese: aborrecer
Romanian: a plictisi
Russian: докучать
Latin American Spanish: aburrir
Swedish: tråka ut
Thai: ทำให้เบื่อ
Turkish: canını sıkmak
Ukrainian: надокучати
Vietnamese: làm cho chán
British English: bore NOUN
You describe someone as a bore when you think that they talk in a very uninteresting way.
There is every reason why I shouldn't enjoy his company–he's a bore and a fool.
American English: bore
Brazilian Portuguese: chato
Chinese: 无聊的家伙
European Spanish: pelmazo
French: raseur
German: Langweiler
Italian: persona noiosa
Japanese: 退屈な人
Korean: 지루한 사람
European Portuguese: chato
Latin American Spanish: pelmazo
British English: bore VERB
hole If you bore a hole in something, you make a deep round hole in it using a special tool.
Get the special drill bit to bore the correct size hole for the job.
American English: bore
Brazilian Portuguese: cavar
Chinese: 钻
European Spanish: hacer
French: percer
German: bohren
Italian: farebuco, foro
Japanese: 穴をあける
Korean: 구멍을 뚫다
European Portuguese: cavar
Latin American Spanish: hacer
Chinese translation of 'bore'
bore
(bɔːʳ)
pt
ofbear
vt
[hole]钻(鑽) (zuàn)
[oil well, tunnel]开(開)凿(鑿) (kāizáo)
[person]使厌(厭)烦(煩) (shǐ yànfán)
n
12-bore shotgun12膛径(徑)的猎(獵)枪(槍) (shí'èr tángjìng de lièqiāng)
to be a bore[person]令人讨(討)厌(厭)的人 (lìng rén tǎoyàn de rén) [situation]令人厌(厭)烦(煩)的事 (lìng rén yànfán de shì)
it's a bore令人讨(討)厌(厭) (lìng rén tǎoyàn)
it/he bores me to tears or to death or stiff它/他把我烦(煩)死了 (tā/tā bǎ wǒ fánsǐ le)
to be bored (with sth)(对(對)某事)不感兴(興)趣 ((duì mǒushì) bù gǎn xìngqù)
to be bored to tears or bored to death or bored stiff (inf) 厌(厭)烦(煩)得要死 (yànfán de yào sǐ)
如果你感觉 bored，是因为你对所做的事情不感兴趣，或没有你所感兴趣的事情去做。 If you're bored, we could go for a walk. 当你觉得某人、某地或某物没意思而使你感觉乏味时，就可以用 boring 来形容。 a boring job ... a boring little mining town ... He can be a bit boring sometimes.
bear
(bɛəʳ)
Word forms:ptbore
Word forms:ppborne
n(c)
(= animal) 熊 (xióng) (头, tóu)
vt
(liter, = carry)[object]携(攜)带(帶) (xiédài)
(= support)[weight]支撑(撐) (zhīchēng)
[responsibility]承担(擔) (chéngdān)
[cost]负(負)担(擔) (fùdān)
(= tolerate)[person]容忍 (róngrěn)
(= endure) 忍受 (rěnshòu)
(= show)[traces, signs]留有 (liúyǒu)
(= stand up to)[examination, scrutiny]经(經)得起 (jīngdeqǐ)
(frm)[malice, ill will]心怀(懷) (xīnhuái)
(Comm)[interest, dividend]产(產)生 (chǎnshēng)
(o.f.)[woman][children]生育 (shēngyù)
[plant][fruit]结(結)出 (jiéchū)
vi
to bear right/left (Aut) 向右/左转(轉) (xiàng yòu/zuǒ zhuǎn)
to bear no resemblance/relation to与(與) ... 无(無)相似之处(處)/没(沒)有关(關)联(聯) (yǔ ... wú xiāngsì zhī chù/méiyǒu guānlián)
to bring pressure/influence to bear on sb对(對)某人施加压(壓)力/影响(響) (duì mǒurén shījiā yālì/yǐngxiǎng)
All related terms of 'bore'
bear
( animal ) 熊 xióng [ 头 tóu ]
it's a bore
令人讨(討)厌(厭) lìng rén tǎoyàn
12-bore shotgun
12膛径(徑)的猎(獵)枪(槍) shí'èr tángjìng de lièqiāng
to be a bore
( person ) 令人讨(討)厌(厭)的人 lìng rén tǎoyàn de rén
to scare/bore sb to death
吓(嚇)死某人/使某人感到无(無)聊之极(極) xiàsǐ mǒurén/shǐ mǒurén gǎndào wúliáo zhī jí
(verb)
Definition
to produce (a tunnel, mine shaft, etc.) by drilling
Get the special drill bit to bore the correct-size hole.
Synonyms
drill
I drilled five holes at equal distance.
mine
sink
the site where Stephenson sank his first mineshaft
tunnel
The rebels tunnelled out of a maximum security jail.
pierce
Pierce the skin of the potato with a fork.
penetrate
The needle penetrated the skin.
burrow
puncture
The bullet punctured his stomach.
perforate
The table was perforated by a series of small holes.
gouge out
1 (noun)
Definition
a hole or tunnel in the ground drilled in search of minerals, oil, etc.
Water is pumped out to reduce pressure around the well bore.
Synonyms
hole
He took a shovel, dug a hole, and buried his possessions.
tunnel
two new railway tunnels through the Alps
shaft
old mine shafts
borehole
drill hole
2 (noun)
Synonyms
diameter
the diameter of a human hair
calibre
Next morning she was arrested and a .44 calibre revolver was found in her possession.
(verb)
Definition
to tire or make weary by being dull, repetitious, or uninteresting
Dickie bored him all through the meal with stories of the Navy.
Synonyms
tire
If driving tires you, take the train.
exhaust
The effort of speaking had exhausted him.
annoy
Try making a note of the things that annoy you.
fatigue
It fatigues me to list them all.
weary
Her boss's criticism wearied her so much that she left.
wear out
jade
wear down
be tedious
pall on
send to sleep
Opposites
interest
,
excite
,
fascinate
,
stimulate
,
amuse
,
divert
,
hold the attention of
,
engross
(noun)
Definition
a dull or repetitious person, activity, or state
He's a bore and a fool.
Synonyms
nuisance
He can be a bit of a nuisance when he's drunk.
It's a real nuisance having to pick up the kids from school every day.
pain (informal)
drag (informal)
Shopping for clothes is a drag.
headache (informal)
Their biggest headache is the increase in the price of fuel.
yawn (informal)
anorak (informal)
pain in the neck (informal)
She can be a pain in the neck when she's in this sort of mood.
dullard
pain in the arse (taboo, slang)
dull person
tiresome person
wearisome talker
Quotations
Bore: a person who talks when you wish him to listen [Ambrose Bierce – The Devil's Dictionary]The way to be a bore is to say everything [Voltaire – Sept Discours en vers sur l'Homme]He was not only a bore; he bored for England [Malcolm Muggeridge – Tread Softly (writing of Sir Anthony Eden)]A bore is a man who, when you ask him how he is, tells you [Bert Leston Taylor – The So-Called Human Race]A healthy male adult bore consumes each year one and a half times his own weight in other people's patience [John Updike – Confessions of a Wild Bore]Some people can stay longer in an hour than others can in a week [W.D. Howells]
Additional synonyms
in the sense of annoy
Definition
to irritate or displease
Try making a note of the things that annoy you.
Synonyms
irritate,
trouble,
bore,
anger,
harry,
bother,
disturb,
provoke,
get (informal),
bug (informal),
needle (informal),
plague,
tease,
harass,
hassle (informal),
aggravate (informal),
badger,
gall,
madden,
ruffle,
exasperate,
nettle,
molest,
pester,
vex,
displease,
irk,
bedevil,
rile,
peeve,
get under your skin (informal),
get on your nerves (informal),
nark (British, Australian, New Zealand, slang),
get up your nose (informal),
give someone grief (British, South Africa),
make your blood boil,
piss you off (taboo, slang),
rub someone up the wrong way (informal),
get your goat (slang),
get in your hair (informal),
get on your wick (British, slang),
get your dander up (informal),
get your back up,
incommode (formal),
put your back up,
hack you off (informal),
be on your back (slang)
in the sense of calibre
Definition
the diameter of the bore of a gun or of a shell or bullet
Next morning she was arrested and a .44 calibre revolver was found in her possession.