Nearby Words

bore

[bawr, bohr] Example Sentences Origin

bore

1[bawr, bohr] verb, bored, bor·ing, noun
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 followed 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.

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Bore is one of our favorite verbs.
So is absquatulate. Does it mean:
to spend time idly; loaf.
to flee; abscond:
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:
before 900; Middle English; Old English borian; cognate with Old High German borōn, Old Norse bora, Latin forāre

bore·a·ble, bor·a·ble, adjective

board, bored, committee, council, panel, trust (see synonym note at trust).


1. perforate, drill. 10. caliber.

Example Sentences
  • We were able to fill the bore hole with water, and lower the U-bend .
  • She found children's books a great bore.
  • Miles apart and years ago, I sampled two fruit tarts that bore delicious similarities.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged

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 uncertain origin


1. fatigue, tire, annoy.


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; Middle English bare < Old Norse bāra wave

bore

4[bawr, bohr]
verb
simple past tense of bear1.

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.
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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.
COLLAPSE
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.
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/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/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.
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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.
COLLAPSE
33.
bring to bear, to concentrate on with a specific purpose: Pressure was brought to bear on those with overdue accounts.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English beren, Old English beran; cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German beran, Dutch baren, Old Frisian, Old Norse bera, Gothic bairan, German (ge)bären, Russian berët (he) takes, Albanian bie, Tocharian pär-, Phrygian ab-beret (he) brings, Latin ferre, Old Irish berid (he) carries, Armenian berem, Greek phérein, Sanskrit bhárati, Avestan baraiti; < Indo-European *bher- (see -fer, -phore


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.


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. EXPANDBorne 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.

COLLAPSE

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, especially of stocks, will decline (opposed to bull).
5.
Informal. a person who shows great ability, enthusiasm, stamina, etc.: a bear for physics.
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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.
COLLAPSE
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.).
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:
before 1000; Middle English be(a)re, beor(e), Old English bera; cognate with Frisian bār, Dutch beer, Old High German bero (German Bär); < Germanic *beran- literally, the brown one; akin to Old Norse bjǫrn, bersi; compare Lithuanian bė́ras brown. Compare bruin

bear·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To bore
Collins
World English Dictionary
bore1 (bɔː)
 
vb
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.  (tr) to produce (a hole in the ground, tunnel, mine shaft, etc) by digging, drilling, cutting, etc
4.  informal (intr) (of a horse or athlete in a race) to push other competitors, esp in order to try to get them out of the way
 
n
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.  (Austral) an artesian well
 
[Old English borian; related to Old Norse bora, Old High German borōn to bore, Latin forāre to pierce, Greek pharos ploughing, phárunxpharynx]

bore2 (bɔː)
 
vb
1.  (tr) to tire or make weary by being dull, repetitious, or uninteresting
 
n
2.  a dull, repetitious, or uninteresting person, activity, or state
 
[C18: of unknown origin]
 
bored2
 
adj

bore3 (bɔː)
 
n
a high steep-fronted wave moving up a narrow estuary, caused by the tide
 
[C17: from Old Norse bāra wave, billow]

bore4 (bɔː)
 
vb
the past tense of bear

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

bear
O.E. bera "bear," from P.Gmc. *beron "the brown one" (cf. O.N. björn, Ger. Bär), from PIE *bher- (3) "bright, brown" (see brown). Greek arktos and Latin ursus retain the PIE root word for "bear" (*rtko), but it is believed to have been ritually replaced in the northern
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branches because of hunters' taboo on names of wild animals (cf. the Ir. equivalent "the good calf," Welsh "honey-pig," Lith. "the licker," Rus. medved "honey-eater"). Others connect the Germanic word with Latin ferus "wild," as if it meant "the wild animal (par excellence) of the northern woods." Symbolic of Russia since 1794. Used of uncouth persons since 1570s. Meaning "speculator for a fall" is 1709 shortening of bearskin jobber (from the proverb sell the bearskin before one has caught the bear); i.e. "one who sells stock for future delivery, expecting that meanwhile prices will fall." Paired with bull from c.1720.

bore
O.E. borian "to bore through, perforate," from bor "auger," from P.Gmc. *buron (cf. O.N. bora, Swed. borra, O.H.G. boron, M.Du. boren, Ger. bohren), from PIE base *bher- (2) "to cut with a sharp point" (cf. Gk. pharao "I plow," L. forare "to bore, pierce," O.C.S. barjo "to strike, fight," Albanian brime
"hole"). The meaning "diameter of a tube" is first recorded 1570s; hence figurative 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 according to Grose; possibly a figurative extension of "to move forward slowly and persistently," as a boring tool does.
"The secret of being a bore is to tell everything." [Voltaire, "Sept Discours en Vers sur l'Homme," 1738]

bore
p.t. of bear (v.).
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
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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Slang Dictionary

bear definition


  1. n.
    a difficult task. : This problem is a real bear.
  2. n.
    an ugly woman. (Derogatory.) : Tell the old bear to hold her tongue.
  3. n.
    a highway patrol officer. (See also Smokey (the Bear).) : There's a bear hiding under that bridge.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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