WordGarden.iogore
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /ɡˈɔː/
US
- /ˈɡɔr/
Meanings
Noun
graphic blood, injury, or violence in entertainment
blood shed from a wound or violent injury
a tapered or triangular panel sewn into a garment
More meaningsFewer meanings
a triangular piece or strip of land, especially near roads
Verb
to pierce or wound with horns or tusks
Beyond the definition
The word "gore" usually brings to mind blood from injury or violence, especially when it is shown in a graphic or disturbing way. In everyday English, it is most often used for scenes of bloody harm in horror movies, violent games, crime stories, or battle accounts. The word is not just about blood being present; it often suggests an ugly, shocking display of it. A small cut or a simple nosebleed would not usually be called "gore," but a slasher film full of bloody special effects clearly would be.
The word "gore" has a messy history and a few distinct uses. As a noun, it most commonly means blood that has been shed, especially as a result of serious injury or violence. That is the sense people usually mean when they talk about the gore in a horror film, a crime scene, or an old battle story. In modern media, the word often goes beyond the blood itself and points to the graphic display of bodily damage meant to shock, disgust, or excite the viewer.
The word also works as a verb. To be "gored" is to be pierced or stabbed, usually by a horn or tusk. A bull may gore a matador; a wild boar may gore a hunter. This verb sense is direct and physical, and it usually appears in reports of animal attacks or violent action.
There is also a separate, more technical noun sense: a "gore" can be a triangular piece of cloth sewn into a skirt, sail, or other object to add width and shape. In older or specialized writing, it can also mean a narrow triangular piece of land. These senses are much less common than the blood-and-violence meaning, but they are still correct. So depending on the context, the word may point to bloody violence, the act of piercing with a horn, or a pointed triangular piece used in sewing or in descriptions of land.
Examples
- 1
Horror films
I like horror movies, but I don't enjoy ones that rely on gore.
- 2
Viewer reaction
The trailer looked interesting, but the amount of gore put me off.
- 3
Animal injury
The farmer was gored by a bull and taken to the hospital.
- Patternbe gored by + animal
be badly injured by its horn or tusk
- 4
Bullfighting
The bull gored the matador during the final round.
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- gorenounverb
Forms
- goring-ing formverbnoun
- goredpast tenseverbnoun
- gorespluralnounverb