Humanities › English Boar, Boor, and Bore The are commonly confused words Print Kurt Vonnegut, <i>Deadeye Dick</i> (Delacorte Press, 1982) English English Grammar An Introduction to Punctuation Writing By Richard Nordquist Richard Nordquist English and Rhetoric Professor Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester B.A., English, State University of New York Dr. Richard Nordquist is professor emeritus of rhetoric and English at Georgia Southern University and the author of several university-level grammar and composition textbooks. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on February 06, 2018 The noun boar refers to an uncastrated pig. The noun boor refers to a rude or ill-mannered person. As a verb, bore means to make a hole or passage or to become tiresome or dull. In addition, bore is the past tense of the irregular verb bear. As a noun, bore refers to a hole made by boring, the hollow part of a tube, or someone or something that is dull and tiresome. Read More Commonly Confused Words: Board and Bored By Richard Nordquist See also: Board and Bored Examples My grandmother once stepped out onto the front porch and shot a boar that was attacking her dogs.To avoid having to attend dinner parties, Jon played the part of a hopeless boor—an uncouth country bumpkin.An engineer conceived a plan to bore a tunnel through the mountain ridge to speed upriver freight traffic.The graduation speaker was a complete bore, and half the audience went to sleep. Practice (a) These creatures _____ into the limestone by dissolving it with an acidic chemical they excrete.(b) It was a Norse tradition to eat wild _____ at Yuletide.(c) If an Englishman settles in Australia, he is regarded as a _____ if he criticizes all things Australian and constantly harps on how much better the English are.(d) Phil's friends say that he has become a total _____, talking about nothing but his children and his golf game. Answers to Practice Exercises: Boar, Boor, and Bore (a) These creatures bore into the limestone by dissolving it with an acidic chemical they excrete.(b) It was a Norse tradition to eat wild boar at Yuletide.(c) If an Englishman settles in Australia, he is regarded as a boor if he criticizes all things Australian and constantly harps on how much better the English are.(d) Phil's friends say that he has become a total bore, talking about nothing but his children and his golf game. Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Nordquist, Richard. "Boar, Boor, and Bore." ThoughtCo, Feb. 16, 2021, thoughtco.com/boar-boor-and-bore-1689319. Nordquist, Richard. (2021, February 16). Boar, Boor, and Bore. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/boar-boor-and-bore-1689319 Nordquist, Richard. "Boar, Boor, and Bore." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/boar-boor-and-bore-1689319 (accessed March 29, 2024). copy citation