DictionarygorePiercing with horns
verb

gore

To wound by piercing with a horn, tusk, or similar point.

A cornered bull can gore anyone who gets too close.

Etymology

Probably related to gār, “spear,” through the idea of piercing. The proposed ancestry is uncertain.

More examples

  • The boar gored the hunter in the leg.
  • She barely avoided being gored by the bison.
  • An elephant can gore an attacker with its tusks.

Forms

gore · gores · gored · goring

Similar words

pierce
Pierce means make a hole, without necessarily causing injury.
impale
Impale emphasizes penetration by a long, sharp object.
stab
Stab usually involves a pointed weapon rather than an animal.