Antonyms for bore


Grammar : Noun, verb
Spell : bawr, bohr
Phonetic Transcription : bɔr, boʊr


Definition of bore

Origin :
  • Old English borian "to bore through, perforate," from bor "auger," from Proto-Germanic *buron (cf. Old Norse bora, Swedish borra, Old High German boron, Middle Dutch boren, German bohren), from PIE root *bher- (2) "to cut with a sharp point, pierce, bore" (cf. Greek pharao "I plow," Latin forare "to bore, pierce," Old Church Slavonic 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.
  • noun nuisance
  • verb drill hole
  • verb cause weariness, disinterest
Example sentences :
  • He bore still around him the rope that was to save the rest.
  • Extract from : « Malbone » by Thomas Wentworth Higginson
  • Then he took Emilia in his arms and bore her to the door, Hope preceding.
  • Extract from : « Malbone » by Thomas Wentworth Higginson
  • But she bore trouble in her own bosom, and could find no peace in this chosen land.
  • Extract from : « Biographical Sketches » by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • I bore it very well for a while, for at first it only amused me.
  • Extract from : « Weighed and Wanting » by George MacDonald
  • He had but a short time to wait before the train left, and bore him away.
  • Extract from : « Life in London » by Edwin Hodder
  • Timon gives with both hands, but when he appeals to his friends, is treated as a bore.
  • Extract from : « The Man Shakespeare » by Frank Harris
  • Still, too, she was faithful to her cousin, or to the shadow which bore his name.
  • Extract from : « Sylph Etherege » by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • On Model B a Holmes rotary 7-cylinder motor of 4x4-inch bore and stroke is used.
  • Extract from : « Flying Machines » by W.J. Jackman and Thos. H. Russell
  • It was a good dime, and bore the stamp of the best and greatest nation on the earth.
  • Extract from : « The Underdog » by F. Hopkinson Smith
  • He saw now that, she bore some facial resemblance to Miss Squibb.
  • Extract from : « The Foolish Lovers » by St. John G. Ervine

Synonyms for bore

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019