/ bɔː(r); NAmE / verb , noun
—see also bear , bore , borne verb
■ verb
1.
[ vn ] to make sb feel bored, especially by talking too much :
I'm not boring you, am I?
Has he been boring you with his stories about his trip?
2.
bore (into / through sth) to make a long deep hole with a tool or by digging :
[ v ]
The drill is strong enough to bore through solid rock.
[ vn ]
to bore a hole in sth
3.
[ v ] bore into sb/sth ( of eyes ) to stare in a way that makes sb feel uncomfortable :
His blue eyes seemed to bore into her.
■ noun
1.
[ C ] a person who is very boring, usually because they talk too much
2.
[ sing. ] a situation or thing that is boring or that annoys you :
It's such a bore having to stay late this evening.
3.
[ C ] (also gauge especially in NAmE ) the hollow inside of a tube, such as a pipe or a gun; the width of the hole :
a tube with a wide / narrow bore
a twelve-bore shotgun
4.
[ C ] a strong, high wave that rushes along a river from the sea at particular times of the year
5.
[ C ] (also bore·hole ) a deep hole made in the ground, especially to find water or oil
•
IDIOMS
see crash verb
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WORD ORIGIN
verb senses 2 to 3 and noun sense 3 noun sense 5 Old English borian (verb), of Germanic origin; related to German bohren .
verb sense 1 and noun senses 1 to 2 mid 18th cent. (as a verb): of unknown origin.
noun sense 4 early 17th cent.: perhaps from Old Norse bára wave; the term was used in the general sense billow, wave in Middle English .