I. sore 1 S3 /sɔː $ sɔːr/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: sar ]
1 . a part of your body that is sore is painful, because of infection or because you have used a muscle too much:
I had a sore throat and aching limbs.
sore from
My arms are sore from all the lifting.
2 . sore point/spot/subject (with somebody) something that is likely to make someone upset or angry when you talk about it:
Just don’t mention it – it’s always been a sore point with him.
3 . [not before noun] especially American English informal upset, angry, and annoyed, especially because you have not been treated fairly:
Mac’s still sore because I didn’t invite him.
sore at
Don’t be sore at me – I just forgot to tell you.
4 . [only before noun] British English used to emphasize how serious, difficult etc something is:
Inner city schools are in sore need of extra funds.
5 . sore loser someone who gets angry or upset when they lose a game or competition:
Nobody likes a sore loser.
6 . stick/stand out like a sore thumb informal if someone or something sticks out like a sore thumb, they are very noticeable because they are different from everyone or everything else:
You stick out like a sore thumb in that uniform.
⇨ be like a bear with a sore head at ↑ bear 2 (3), ⇨ a sight for sore eyes at ↑ sight 1 (14)
• • •
THESAURUS
■ when a part of your body hurts
▪ painful used for describing a part of the body that hurts:
Her leg is still painful where she broke it.
|
painful joints
|
She was suffering from painful stomach cramps.
▪ tender painful when touched:
The skin around the wound is very tender.
▪ stiff painful and difficult to move:
I’ve got a stiff neck.
|
Her body was stiff from sitting in the car for so long.
▪ sore painful as a result of a wound, infection, or too much exercise:
sore muscles
|
a sore throat
|
The wound was sore and red.
II. sore 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
a painful, often red, place on your body caused by a wound or infection:
They were starving and covered with sores.
⇨ ↑ cold sore , ↑ bedsore , ⇨ running sore at ↑ running 2 (5)