pore

¹ American  

[pawr, pohr] / pɔr, poʊr /

verb (used without object)

pored, poring

1. to read or study with steady attention or application.

   a scholar poring over a rare old manuscript.

2. to gaze earnestly or steadily.

   to pore over a painting.

3. to meditate or ponder intently (usually followed by over, on, orupon ).

   He pored over the strange events of the preceding evening.

   Synonyms:

   examine, peruse, scrutinize, ponder

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pore ² American  

[pawr, pohr] / pɔr, poʊr /

noun

1. a minute opening or orifice, as in the skin or a leaf, for perspiration, absorption, etc.

2. a minute interstice, as in a rock.

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pore ¹ British  

/ pɔː /

verb

1. (foll by over) to make a close intent examination or study (of a book, map, etc)

   he pored over the documents for several hours

2. to think deeply (about)

   he pored on the question of their future

3. rare to look earnestly or intently (at); gaze fixedly (upon)

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pore ² British  

/ pɔː /

noun

1. anatomy zoology any small opening in the skin or outer surface of an animal

2. botany any small aperture, esp that of a stoma through which water vapour and gases pass

3. any other small hole, such as a space in a rock, soil, etc

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pore Scientific  

/ pôr /

1. A tiny opening, as one in an animal's skin or on the surface of a plant leaf or stem, through which liquids or gases may pass.

2. A space in soil, rock, or loose sediment that is not occupied by mineral matter and allows the passage or absorption of fluids, such as water, petroleum, or air.

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Other Word Forms

• porelike adjective

Etymology

Origin of pore¹

1250–1300; Middle English pouren < ?

Origin of pore²

1350–1400; Middle English poore < Late Latin porus < Greek póros passage; emporium, ford

Example Sentences

There were various lows during England's terrible Ashes tour of Australia, many of which have been pored over endlessly in recent months.

From BBC

In all of the documents Mr. Clark pored over, however, he didn’t find a single female complainant.

From The Wall Street Journal

The concept behind MultiQ-IT emerged from long-term research on how molecules move in and out of a cell's nucleus through structures known as nuclear pore complexes.

From Science Daily

The company says it seeks to identify promising employees for promotion, encourages career planning alongside performance reviews and pores over internal data to spot potential matches for open positions, even among employees who haven’t applied.

From The Wall Street Journal

Many nights after the door was locked and the shutters closed, I sat on in the flickering gaslight, poring over old inventories and wholesalers’ statements.

From Literature