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Meaning & use

gores

verb, noun·Advanced

Last updated

UK/ɡɔːz/
US/ɡɔːrz/

“gores” is a form of “gore”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.

Meanings

  1. verbtransitive

    wounds someone or something with a horn or tusk.

    Grammar: Takes an object; very common in the passive: 'was gored by a bull'.

    Patterns

    • gore someone
    • be gored by something

    A bull gored the runner during the festival.

    The matador was gored in the thigh but survived.

    Reports say a wild boar gored two hikers near the trail.

  2. nouncountablespecialist

    a tapering triangular piece of cloth sewn into a garment to add width or shape.

    Grammar: Countable; usually plural when talking about the panels in a skirt or sail.

    Patterns

    • insert a gore
    • a skirt with gores

    The seamstress added a gore to make the skirt flare.

    Sailmakers stitch several gores together to form the curve of a sail.

  3. nouncountabletechnical

    a narrow triangular section of land or water between two larger areas.

    Grammar: Countable; used in geography and mapmaking for wedge-shaped strips.

    Patterns

    • a gore of land
    • the gores on a map

    The old map was printed on gores that were cut out and folded onto a globe.

    A small gore of neutral territory separated the two districts.

Word forms

base formgore
third person singulargores
past tensegored
past participlegored
-ing formgoring
pluralgores

Common combinations

gored by a bull
The tourist was gored by a bull in Pamplona.
gore someone to death
The animal gored the farmer to death.
insert a gore
Insert a gore at each side to widen the jacket.
a gore of land
A thin gore of land runs between the two rivers.

Synonyms and how they differ

pierce
More general and often used for sharp objects like needles or knives, not horns.
stab
Suggests a knife or pointed weapon rather than an animal's horn.
panel
A general word for a piece of cloth; 'gore' is specifically a tapering triangular piece.

Word family

goring noun
The act of wounding with a horn or tusk.

Commonly confused: gores or gourd? gores or gore?

gores vs gourd

A gourd is a hard-skinned fruit or the container made from it; 'gore' is about horns or triangular cloth.

gores vs gore

As an uncountable noun, 'gore' means blood from a wound; the plural 'gores' is not used for blood.

Practice

The bull ______ the matador in the leg before the crowd pulled it away.

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