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bore - 21 dictionary results

bore

1  [bawr, bohr] verb, bored, bor⋅ing, noun
Use bore in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to pierce (a solid substance) with some rotary cutting instrument.
2. to make (a hole) by drilling with such an instrument.
3. to form, make, or construct (a tunnel, mine, well, passage, etc.) by hollowing out, cutting through, or removing a core of material: to bore a tunnel through the Alps; to bore an oil well 3000 feet deep.
4. Machinery. to enlarge (a hole) to a precise diameter with a cutting tool within the hole, by rotating either the tool or the work.
5. to force (an opening), as through a crowd, by persistent forward thrusting (usually fol. by through or into); to force or make (a passage).
–verb (used without object)
6. to make a hole in a solid substance with a rotary cutting instrument.
7. Machinery. to enlarge a hole to a precise diameter.
8. (of a substance) to admit of being bored: Certain types of steel do not bore well.
–noun
9. a hole made or enlarged by boring.
10. the inside diameter of a hole, tube, or hollow cylindrical object or device, such as a bushing or bearing, engine cylinder, or barrel of a gun.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE borian; c. OHG borōn, ON bora, L forāre

Related forms:
bore⋅a⋅ble, bor⋅a⋅ble, adjective

Synonyms:
1. perforate, drill. 10. caliber.

bore

2  [bawr, bohr] verb, bored, bor⋅ing, noun
–verb (used with object)
1. to weary by dullness, tedious repetition, unwelcome attentions, etc.: The long speech bored me.
–noun
2. a dull, tiresome, or uncongenial person.
3. a cause of ennui or petty annoyance: repetitious tasks that are a bore to do.
Origin:
1760–70; of uncert. orig.

Synonyms:
1. fatigue, tire, annoy.

Antonyms:
1. amuse; thrill, enrapture.

bore

3  [bawr, bohr]
–noun
an abrupt rise of tidal water moving rapidly inland from the mouth of an estuary.
Also called tidal bore.

Origin:
1275–1325; ME bare < ON bāra wave

bore

4  [bawr, bohr]
–verb
pt. of bear 1 .

bear

1  [bair] verb, bore or (Archaic) bare; borne or born; bear⋅ing.
–verb (used with object)
1. to hold up; support: to bear the weight of the roof.
2. to hold or remain firm under (a load): The roof will not bear the strain of his weight.
3. to bring forth (young); give birth to: to bear a child.
4. to produce by natural growth: a tree that bears fruit.
5. to hold up under; be capable of: His claim doesn't bear close examination.
6. to press or push against: The crowd was borne back by the police.
7. to hold or carry (oneself, one's body, one's head, etc.): to bear oneself erectly.
8. to conduct (oneself): to bear oneself bravely.
9. to suffer; endure; undergo: to bear the blame.
10. to sustain without yielding or suffering injury; tolerate (usually used in negative constructions, unless qualified): I can't bear your nagging. I can hardly bear to see her suffering so.
11. to be fit for or worthy of: It doesn't bear repeating.
12. to carry; bring: to bear gifts.
13. to carry in the mind or heart: to bear love; to bear malice.
14. to transmit or spread (gossip, tales, etc.).
15. to render; afford; give: to bear witness; to bear testimony.
16. to lead; guide; take: They bore him home.
17. to have and be entitled to: to bear title.
18. to exhibit; show: to bear a resemblance.
19. to accept or have, as an obligation: to bear responsibility; to bear the cost.
20. to stand in (a relation or ratio); have or show correlatively: the relation that price bears to profit.
21. to possess, as a quality or characteristic; have in or on: to bear traces; to bear an inscription.
22. to have and use; exercise: to bear authority; to bear sway.
–verb (used without object)
23. to tend in a course or direction; move; go: to bear west; to bear left at the fork in the road.
24. to be located or situated: The lighthouse bears due north.
25. to bring forth young or fruit: Next year the tree will bear.
—Verb phrases
26. bear down,
a. to press or weigh down.
b. to strive harder; intensify one's efforts: We can't hope to finish unless everyone bears down.
c. Nautical. to approach from windward, as a ship: The cutter was bearing down the channel at twelve knots.
27. bear down on or upon,
a. to press or weigh down on.
b. to strive toward.
c. to approach something rapidly.
d. Nautical. to approach (another vessel) from windward: The sloop bore down on us, narrowly missing our stern.
28. bear off,
a. Nautical. to keep (a boat) from touching or rubbing against a dock, another boat, etc.
b. Nautical. to steer away.
c. Backgammon. to remove the stones from the board after they are all home.
29. bear on or upon, to affect, relate to, or have connection with; be relevant to: This information may bear on the case.
30. bear out, to substantiate; confirm: The facts bear me out.
31. bear up, to endure; face hardship bravely: It is inspiring to see them bearing up so well.
32. bear with, to be patient or forbearing with: Please bear with me until I finish the story.
—Idiom
33. bring to bear, to concentrate on with a specific purpose: Pressure was brought to bear on those with overdue accounts.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME beren, OE beran; c. OS, OHG beran, D baren, OFris, ON bera, Goth bairan, G (ge)bären, Russ berët (he) takes, Albanian bie, Tocharian pär-, Phrygian ab-beret (he) brings, L ferre, OIr berid (he) carries, Armenian berem, Gk phérein, Skt bhárati, Avestan baraiti; < IE *bher- (see -fer, -phore

Synonyms:
1. uphold, sustain. 4. yield. 6. thrust, drive, force. 10. brook, abide, suffer. Bear, stand, endure refer to supporting the burden of something distressing, irksome, or painful. Bear and stand are close synonyms and have a general sense of withstanding: to bear a disappointment well; to stand a loss. Endure implies continued resistance and patience in bearing through a long time: to endure torture.

Usage note:
Since the latter part of the 18th century, a distinction has been made between born and borne as past participles of the verb bear1. Borne is the past participle in all senses that do not refer to physical birth: The wheatfields have borne abundantly this year. Judges have always borne a burden of responsibility. Borne is also the participle when the sense is “to bring forth (young)” and the focus is on the mother rather than on the child. In such cases, borne is preceded by a form of have or followed by by: Anna had borne a son the previous year. Two children borne by her earlier were already grown. When the focus is on the offspring or on something brought forth as if by birth, born is the standard spelling, and it occurs only in passive constructions: My friend was born in Ohio. No children have been born at the South Pole. A strange desire was born of the tragic experience. Born is also an adjective meaning “by birth,” “innate,” or “native”: born free; a born troublemaker; Mexican-born.

bear

2  [bair] noun, plural bears, (especially collectively) bear, adjective, verb, beared, bear⋅ing.
–noun
1. any of the plantigrade, carnivorous or omnivorous mammals of the family Ursidae, having massive bodies, coarse heavy fur, relatively short limbs, and almost rudimentary tails.
2. any of various animals resembling the bear, as the ant bear.
3. a gruff, burly, clumsy, bad-mannered, or rude person.
4. a person who believes that market prices, esp. of stocks, will decline (opposed to bull ).
5. Informal. a person who shows great ability, enthusiasm, stamina, etc.: a bear for physics.
6. (initial capital letter) Astronomy. either of two constellations, Ursa Major or Ursa Minor.
7. Informal. a player at cards who rarely bluffs.
8. (initial capital letter) Russia.
–adjective
9. having to do with or marked by declining prices, as of stocks: bear market.
–verb (used with object)
10. Stock Exchange. to force prices down in (a market, stock, etc.).
—Idiom
11. loaded for bear, Informal. fully prepared and eager to initiate or deal with a fight, confrontation, or trouble: Keep away from the boss—he's loaded for bear today.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME be(a)re, beor(e), OE bera; c. Fris bār, D beer, OHG bero (G Bär); < Gmc *beran- lit., the brown one; akin to ON bjǫrn, bersi; cf. Lith bė́ras brown. Cf. bruin

Related forms:
bearlike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To bore
bear 1   (bâr)   
v.   bore (bôr, bōr), borne (bôrn, bōrn) or born (bôrn), bear·ing, bears

v.   tr.
  1. To hold up; support.
  2. To carry from one place to another; transport.
  3. To carry in the mind; harbor: bear a grudge.
  4. To transmit at large; relate: bearing glad tidings.
  5. To have as a visible characteristic: bore a scar on the left arm.
  6. To have as a quality; exhibit: "A thousand different shapes it bears" (Abraham Cowley).
  7. To carry (oneself) in a specified way; conduct: She bore herself with dignity.
  8. To be accountable for; assume: bearing heavy responsibilities.
  9. To have a tolerance for; endure: couldn't bear his lying.
  10. To call for; warrant: This case bears investigation.
  11. To give birth to: bore six children in five years.
  12. To produce; yield: plants bearing flowers.
  13. To offer; render: I will bear witness to the deed.
  14. To move by or as if by steady pressure; push: "boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past" (F. Scott Fitzgerald).
v.   intr.
  1. To yield fruit; produce: peach trees that bear every summer.
  2. To have relevance; apply: They studied the ways in which the relativity theory bears on the history of science.
  3. To exert pressure, force, or influence.
    1. To force oneself along; forge.
    2. To endure something with tolerance and patience: Bear with me while I explain matters.
  5. To extend or proceed in a specified direction: The road bears to the right at the bottom of the hill.
  6. To advance in a threatening manner: The ship bore down on our canoe.
  7. To apply maximum effort and concentration: If you really bear down, you will finish the task.
Phrasal Verb(s):
bear down
  1. To advance in a threatening manner: The ship bore down on our canoe.
  2. To apply maximum effort and concentration: If you really bear down, you will finish the task.
bear outTo prove right or justified; confirm: The test results bear out our claims.
bear upTo withstand stress, difficulty, or attrition: The patient bore up well during the long illness.

Idiom(s):
bear down onTo effect in a harmful or adverse way: Financial pressures are bearing down on them.

Idiom(s):
bear fruitTo come to a satisfactory conclusion or to fruition.

Idiom(s):
bear in mindTo hold in one's mind; remember: Bear in mind that bridges freeze before roads.

[Middle English beren, from Old English beran; see bher-1 in Indo-European roots.]
Synonyms: These verbs mean to withstand something difficult or painful. Bear pertains broadly to the capacity to withstand: "Those best can bear reproof who merit praise" (Alexander Pope).
Endure specifies a continuing capacity to face pain or hardship: "Human life is everywhere a state in which much is to be endured and little to be enjoyed" (Samuel Johnson).
Stand implies resoluteness of spirit: Actors who can't stand criticism shouldn't perform in public.
Abide and suffer suggest the capacity to withstand patiently: She couldn't abide fools. He suffered their insults in silence.
Tolerate, when applied to something other than pain, connotes reluctant acceptance: "A decent . . . examination of the acts of government should be not only tolerated, but encouraged" (William Henry Harrison). See Also Synonyms at convey, produce.

Usage Note: Thanks to the vagaries of English spelling, bear has two past participles: born and borne. Traditionally, born is used only in passive constructions referring to birth: I was born in Chicago. For all other uses, including active constructions referring to birth, borne is the standard form: She has borne both her children at home. I have borne his insolence with the patience of a saint.
bore 1   (bôr, bōr)   
v.   bored, bor·ing, bores

v.   tr.
  1. To make a hole in or through, with or as if with a drill.
  2. To form (a tunnel, for example) by drilling, digging, or burrowing.
v.   intr.
  1. To make a hole in or through something with or as if with a drill: "three types of protein that enable the cells to bore in and out of blood vessels" (Elisabeth Rosenthal).
  2. To proceed or advance steadily or laboriously: a destroyer boring through heavy seas.
n.  
  1. A hole or passage made by or as if by use of a drill.
  2. A hollow, usually cylindrical chamber or barrel, as of a firearm.
  3. The interior diameter of a hole, tube, or cylinder.
  4. The caliber of a firearm.
  5. A drilling tool.

[Middle English boren, from Old English borian.]
bore 2   (bôr, bōr)   
tr.v.   bored, bor·ing, bores
To make weary by being dull, repetitive, or tedious: The movie bored us.
n.  One that is wearingly dull, repetitive, or tedious.

[Origin unknown.]
bore 3   (bôr, bōr)   
n.  A high, often dangerous wave caused by the surge of a flood tide upstream in a narrowing estuary or by colliding tidal currents. Also called eagre.

[Middle English bare, wave, from Old Norse bāra; see bher-1 in Indo-European roots.]
bore 4   (bôr, bōr)   
v.  Past tense of bear1.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Bore

Bore\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bored; p. pr. & vb. n. Boring.] [OE. borien, AS. borian; akin to Icel. bora, Dan. bore, D. boren, OHG. por?n, G. bohren, L. forare, Gr. ? to plow, Zend bar. [root]91.]

1. To perforate or penetrate, as a solid body, by turning an auger, gimlet, drill, or other instrument; to make a round hole in or through; to pierce; as, to bore a plank.

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

2. To form or enlarge by means of a boring instrument or apparatus; as, to bore a steam cylinder or a gun barrel; to bore a hole.

Short but very powerful jaws, by means whereof the insect can bore, as with a centerbit, a cylindrical passage through the most solid wood. --T. W. Harris.

3. To make (a passage) by laborious effort, as in boring; as, to bore one's way through a crowd; to force a narrow and difficult passage through. "What bustling crowds I bored." --Gay.

4. To weary by tedious iteration or by dullness; to tire; to trouble; to vex; to annoy; to pester.

He bores me with some trick. --Shak.

Used to come and bore me at rare intervals. --Carlyle.

5. To befool; to trick. [Obs.]

I am abused, betrayed; I am laughed at, scorned, Baffled and bored, it seems. --Beau. & Fl.

Bore

Bore\, v. i. 1. To make a hole or perforation with, or as with, a boring instrument; to cut a circular hole by the rotary motion of a tool; as, to bore for water or oil (i. e., to sink a well by boring for water or oil); to bore with a gimlet; to bore into a tree (as insects).

2. To be pierced or penetrated by an instrument that cuts as it turns; as, this timber does not bore well, or is hard to bore.

3. To push forward in a certain direction with laborious effort.

They take their flight . . . boring to the west. --Dryden.

4. (Man.) To shoot out the nose or toss it in the air; -- said of a horse. --Crabb.

Bore

Bore\ (b[=o]r), n. 1. A hole made by boring; a perforation.

2. The internal cylindrical cavity of a gun, cannon, pistol, or other firearm, or of a pipe or tube.

The bores of wind instruments. --Bacon.

Love's counselor should fill the bores of hearing. --Shak.

3. The size of a hole; the interior diameter of a tube or gun barrel; the caliber.

4. A tool for making a hole by boring, as an auger.

5. Caliber; importance. [Obs.]

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

6. A person or thing that wearies by prolixity or dullness; a tiresome person or affair; any person or thing which causes ennui.

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

Bore

Bore\, n. [Icel. b[=a]ra wave: cf. G. empor upwards, OHG. bor height, burren to lift, perh. allied to AS. beran, E. 1st bear. [root]92.] (Physical Geog.) (a) A tidal flood which regularly or occasionally rushes into certain rivers of peculiar configuration or location, in one or more waves which present a very abrupt front of considerable height, dangerous to shipping, as at the mouth of the Amazon, in South America, the Hoogly and Indus, in India, and the Tsien-tang, in China. (b) Less properly, a very high and rapid tidal flow, when not so abrupt, such as occurs at the Bay of Fundy and in the British Channel.

Bore

Bore\, imp. of 1st & 2d Bear.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : bore
Spanish: perforar,
German: bohren,
Japanese: 穴を開ける
More Translations »

bore 
O.E. borian "to bore," from bor "auger," from P.Gmc. *boron, from PIE base *bhor-/*bhr- "to cut with a sharp point" (cf. Gk. pharao "I plow," L. forare "to bore, pierce," O.C.E. barjo "to strike, fight," Alb. brime "hole"). The meaning "diameter of a tube" is first recorded 1572; hence fig. slang full bore (1936) "at maximum speed," from notion of unchoked carburetor on an engine. Sense of "be tiresome or dull" first attested 1768, a vogue word c.1780-81, possibly a figurative extension of "to move forward slowly and steadily."
"The secret of being a bore is to tell everything." [Voltaire, "Sept Discours en Vers sur l'Homme," 1738]
Boredom "state of being bored" first recorded 1852; boring "wearisome" is from 1840.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: bore
past of BEAR
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Main Entry: 1bore
past of BEAR

Main Entry: 2bore
Pronunciation: 'bO(&)r, 'bo(&)r
Function: noun
1 : the long usually cylindrical hollow part of something (as atube or artery)
2 : the internal diameter of a tube (as a hypodermic needle, catheter, or sound) bore catheter> bore>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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bore   (bôr)  Pronunciation Key 
  1. In fluid mechanics, a jump in the level of moving water, generally propagating in the opposite direction to the current. Strong ocean tides can cause bores to propagate up rivers.
    1. The white, shallow portion of a wave after it breaks. The bore carries ocean water onto the beach.
    2. A tidal wave caused by the surge of a flood tide upstream in a narrowing estuary or by colliding tidal currents.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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