gore

IPA/ɡɔːr/
KK[ɡˈɔr]IPA/ɡɔːr/

gore — noun

  • goresingular
  • goresplural

1. Thick, dark blood that flows from a serious wound, especially during a violent e

1.nounB2
Definition

Thick, dark blood that flows from a serious wound, especially during a violent event such as a battle, an attack, or an accident.

Example

The horror movie was so full of gore that several viewers covered their eyes.

collocation: full of gore

Eleni's jacket was stained with gore after she helped the injured hiker down the mountain.

collocation: stained with gore

Common collocations
  • full of gore
  • stained with gore
  • covered in gore
  • gore and violence
  • blood and gore
Synonyms
  • blood

    the general term for any bleeding; gore is a subset of blood associated with violence

  • carnage

    refers to the overall scene of violent death and destruction, not just the blood itself

  • slaughter

    focuses on the act of killing rather than the resulting blood

Grammar Patterns

uncountable noun

Usage Note

This sense is reserved for dramatic or gruesome contexts such as battles, murders, or horror films. It is not used for minor cuts, nosebleeds, or ordinary medical bleeding.

Common Mistakes

I cut my finger while cooking, and gore got on the cutting board.
I cut my finger while cooking, and blood got on the cutting board.
'Gore' implies heavy, violent bleeding; use 'blood' for small injuries.

2. A panel of fabric cut in a wedge shape with one end wider than the other, sewn t

2.nounC1
Definition

A panel of fabric cut in a wedge shape with one end wider than the other, sewn together with other such panels to form a skirt, sail, umbrella, tent, or similar object.

Example

Niran sewed four gores into the skirt so that it would flare when she walked.

Each gore of the umbrella was made from a different colour of nylon fabric.

pattern: gore of [object]

Common collocations
  • gore of a skirt
  • gore of an umbrella
  • cut a gore
  • sew a gore
  • replace a gore
  • triangular gore
Synonyms
  • panel

    a broader term for any section of fabric; a gore is a specific kind of panel that is tapered

  • wedge

    emphasises the triangular shape but is not a sewing-specific term

Grammar Patterns

countable noun

Usage Note

A specialized term in sewing, sailmaking, and umbrella construction. In clothing, gores add fullness or shape. In umbrellas, each section of the canopy is called a gore.

Common Mistakes

She cut a gore out of the fabric in a perfect square.
She cut a gore out of the fabric in a long triangle.
A gore is always tapered or wedge-shaped, never rectangular or square.

gore — verb

gore — idiom

Word family

  • gory
    adjectiveB2
  • gorily
    adverbC1
  • gored
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three words relate to violence, but they differ in scope and connotation. Blood is the broadest term and can refer to any bleeding, from a small cut to a battlefield wound. Gore specifically means thick blood from a violent injury, and carries a strong sense of gruesomeness — you would use it for horror films or war scenes, not a scraped knee. Carnage goes beyond the blood itself to describe an entire scene of violent death and destruction, often involving many victims. For example, 'The surgeon cleaned the blood from the wound' sounds neutral and factual; 'The horror film was full of gore' emphasises the shocking visuals; and 'The streets were a scene of carnage after the battle' paints a picture of widespread devastation.

blood ↗gore ↗carnage ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • full of gore
  • scene of gore

Prepositions

  • covered in gore
  • stained with gore
  • gored by

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The noun gore comes from Old English 'gor', which originally meant 'dung, filth, dirt'. By the Middle English period, its meaning had shifted to 'clotted blood from a wound'. The verb gore ('to stab with horns') has a different origin: it comes from Old English 'gār', meaning 'spear' — the idea being that an animal's horn or tusk strikes like a spear. The two words are historically separate but became linked in modern English because both relate to wounding. The fabric-related noun gore (a triangular piece) also traces back to Old English 'gāra', a 'triangular piece of land', related to 'gār' (spear), from the triangular shape of a spearhead.