boring

From Middle English boryng (“making a hole”); equivalent to bore +‎ -ing.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔː.ɹɪŋ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈboɹ.ɪŋ/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA^(key): /ˈboː.ɹɪŋ/, /ˈboɹ.ɪŋ/
• (non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA^(key): /ˈboə.ɹɪŋ/
• Rhymes: -ɔːɹɪŋ

boring (plural borings)

1. The act or process of boring holes; such practice as an area of expertise in manufacturing.

   Hypernym: machining

   Coordinate terms: drilling (usually coordinate in machining; often synonymous in woodworking), reaming; turning (OD counterpart); milling, broaching, shaping, planing, grinding

   turning and boring

   fine boring with a boring head on a boring mill

2. A pit or hole which has been bored.
   • 1992, J. Patrick Powers, Construction dewatering: new methods and applications, page 191:

     It is common in urban areas that a great many borings exist from prior construction work.

3. (usually in the plural) One of the fragments thrown up when something is bored or drilled.

   Synonym: chips (wood, metal, or plastic)

   Hyponyms: shavings (wood, plastic), swarf (metal)

   Coordinate term: sawdust (wood)

boring

1. present participle and gerund of bore

• tunnel boring machine

boring (comparative more boring or boringer, superlative most boring or boringest)

1. Causing boredom or tiredness; making one feel tired and impatient.

   What a boring film that was! I almost fell asleep.

   • 1956 September, Laura Beheler, chapter 16, in The Paper Dolls, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Company; Cambridge, Mass.: The Riverside Press, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 175:

     “Why don’t you become a Baptist preacher?” she interrupted wearily. He smiled at her briefly. Then, from the way he leaned back, adjusted his glasses, took a quick sip of martini, Ida knew she was in for a speech. Biting hard on her back teeth, she sighed and prepared to listen as little as possible. Suffocating, she mumbled, that’s what he is! And boringer than hell!

   • 1983, Peter De Vries, chapter 13, in Slouching Towards Kalamazoo, Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company, →ISBN, page 212:

     Oh, let's not spoil a good dinner with a reconcilation^[sic] scene. We’ve hardly split up. We’ll get to be like two old people who can communicate, and nothing’s boringer than that.

   • 2004, Nancy Rue, “Sophie and the Scoundrels (Book 3)”, in Sophie’s Secret (Faithgirlz!; The Sophie Series, 2), Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zonderkidz, →ISBN, pages 125–126:

     “I had the most boring day in life yesterday. I couldn’t go to work with my dad, so I went with my mom.” […] “Mine was even boringer than yours,” Kitty said. She was starting to whine, and she flipped her ponytail. She did both of those things a lot. “I didn’t get to spend that much time with my dad, either, since he’s a pilot.”

   • 2023 February 8, Paul Stephen with Howard Smith, “Elizabeth Line: "It's not job done yet"”, in RAIL, number 976, page 35:

     "We've had some moments in the spotlight, and there will be more to come. But boring is good when operating railways.

2. (chiefly Manglish) Suffering from boredom; mildly annoyed and restless through having nothing to do.

   Synonym: bored

   I very boring. ― I am very bored.

3. Used, designed to be used, or able to drill holes.

   boring equipment

   boring snails

4. Capable of penetrating; piercing.
   • 1963, Arthur Upfield, The Lake Frome Monster, London: Pan Books, published 1969, page 11:

     [H]is remarkably blue eyes had the trick of boring concentration.

• dull, mind-numbing (colloquial), tedious
• See also Thesaurus:boring

• bore
• bored
• boredom

• orbing, robing

From the verb bore (“drill”).

• IPA^(key): [ˈb̥oːɐ̯eŋ]

boring c (singular definite boringen, plural indefinite boringer)

1. drill hole
2. drilling

From boren +‎ -ing.

• IPA^(key): /ˈboː.rɪŋ/

• Audio (Belgium):

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: bo‧ring
• Rhymes: -oːrɪŋ

boring f (plural boringen, diminutive borinkje n)

1. drilling

   offshoreboring — offshore drilling

2. bore of a car's cylinder or canon