Meaning & use
borescope
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountabletechnical
An optical instrument with a long, thin tube used to inspect the inside of machinery or narrow spaces.
Grammar: Countable; can be used with a/an or in the plural.
Patterns
- use a borescope
- insert a borescope
- borescope inspection
The mechanic used a borescope to check the engine cylinders.
A borescope can reach inside pipes without dismantling them.
Word forms
| plural | borescopes |
|---|
Common combinations
- borescope inspection
- The borescope inspection revealed cracks in the turbine blades.
- use a borescope
- Technicians use a borescope to examine hard-to-reach areas.
- borescope camera
- A borescope camera sends images to a monitor.
- flexible borescope
- A flexible borescope can navigate curved pipes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- endoscope
- Endoscope is used mainly for medical examinations of the body, while borescope is used for industrial or mechanical inspection.
Word family
- borescopic adjective
- Relating to or using a borescope.
Commonly confused: borescope or periscope?
borescope vs periscope
A periscope is an optical device for seeing over or around obstacles, often on submarines; a borescope is for looking inside narrow spaces.
Practice
Which situation would most likely require a borescope?
Choose one answer.
A borescope is used to inspect the interior of machinery like jet engines. The other options involve different tools or purposes.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “borescope”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.