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c.1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :
I'll believe as soon this whole earth may be bored.
On June 8, 1872, the London & North Western Railway obtained powers to quadruple its main line, and a new tunnel was bored for the up and down slow lines.
(intransitive) To make a hole with, or as if with, a boring instrument; to cut a circular hole by the rotary motion of a tool.
to bore for water or oil
An insect bores into a tree.
(transitive) To form or enlarge (something) by means of a boring instrument or apparatus.
to bore a steam cylinder or a gun barrel; to bore a hole
1824, Pierce Egan, Boxiana; Or, Sketches of Ancient and Modern Pugilism, page 600:
The right hand of Curtis was open too much ; but he nevertheless had the best of the hitting in this round, till Inglis bored him down, out of the ropes.
1885, Tresham Gilbey, Baily's Magazine of Sports and Pastimes, volume 43, page 107:
Hanlan, it seems, led at about a mile, when Beach's steamer bored him, and to avoid the danger of being swamped, he put on a violent spurt and drew well clear of Beach, getting some lengths lead.
(intransitive) To push forward in a certain direction with laborious effort.
1697, Virgil, “The Third Book of the Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis., London: Jacob Tonson,, →OCLC:
1631, Francis [Bacon], “II. Century.”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries., 3rd edition, London: William Rawley; rinted by J H for William Lee, →OCLC, page 53:
the bores of wind-instruments
The tunnel inside of a gun's barrel through which the bullet travels when fired, or (by extension) its diameter.
A tool, such as an auger, for making a hole by boring.
1746, Charles Fearne, Minutes of the proceedings of a court-martial, aſſembled, London, page 159:
Q. When the Fireſhip appeared to be going down towards the Real, do you think that the Dorſetſhire could have bore down in Time, to have covered and aſſiſted her?
1834, Augustus Earle, A Narrative of a Nine Months' Residence in New Zealand in 1827, pages 345–346:
[…] by altering their course a very little, and easily have bore down abreast of our settlement, without incurring the smallest risk!
2006 February 10, Karl F. Hoffman, Jennifer M. Fitzpatrick, “The Application of DNA Microarrays in the Functional Study of Schisostome/Host Biology”, in W. Evan Secor, Daniel G. Colley, editors, Schistosomiasis, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN, page 101:
The end of the 20th century and the start of the new millennium have bore witness to a remarkable revolution in the way parasite/host biological interactions can be conceptually designed and experimentally studied.