borehole

American

[bawr-hohl, bohr-] / ˈbɔrˌhoʊl, ˈboʊr- /

noun

Mining.

a hole drilled in the earth, as for the purpose of extracting a core, releasing gas, oil, water, etc.

borehole British

/ ˈbɔːˌhəʊl /

noun

a hole driven into the ground to obtain geological information, release water, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of borehole

First recorded in 1700–10; bore ² + hole

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Plans include fixing the town's seven boreholes and desalination plant as well as drilling for an extra borehole in the short term.

From BBC

Sino Metals has promised to build a borehole away from the contaminated stream at the bottom of his farm, he says, but that hasn't happened yet.

From BBC

To understand how seismic activity influenced this hidden ecosystem, the researchers collected water samples from a nearly 100-meter deep borehole located along the western edge of Yellowstone Lake.

From Science Daily

The processes observed in the Yellowstone borehole may not be unique.

From Science Daily

"When I'm out with friends and family I'm always saying 'there's a borehole there' and nobody would know it."

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023