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English (UK)
Cambridge Dictionary Online

Meaning of sore in English

sore
adjective
uk
/sɔːr/ us
/sɔːr/

sore adjective (PAINFUL)

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B1
painful and uncomfortable because of injury, infection, or too much use:
All the dust has made my eyes sore.
I've got a sore back.
My feet were sore with all the walking.
Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples
painful
  • painfulHer ankle was still painful if she put weight on it.
  • soreMy feet are sore from walking around all day.
  • tenderThe glands in my neck feel really tender.
  • sensitiveMy face was bright red and sensitive to the touch.
  • excruciatingHis injury caused excruciating headaches.
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More examplesFewer examples
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Pain & painful
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sore adjective (ANGRY)

US informal
angry because you feel you have been unfairly treated:
He accused me of being a sore loser (= someone who does not accept defeat well).
Synonyms
angry (EMOTIONAL)
apoplectic
be beside yourself
cross mainly UK
furious (ANGRY)
incandescent (QUALITY)
incensed
irate
livid (ANGRY)
seething (angry)
wrathful
Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples
angry
  • angryIt does no good to get angry at him - it won't change the situation at all.
  • soreUS He's still sore about the way things turned out.
  • annoyedHe was annoyed with her for being late.
  • irritatedI was irritated that he didn't thank me.
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SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Angry and displeased
See more results »

Related word

soreness

Idiom

stand/stick out like a sore thumb
sore
noun [ C ]
uk
/sɔːr/ us
/sɔːr/
a painful area on the surface of a body, especially an infected area:
The poor dog's back was covered with sores.
See also
cold sore
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Skin complaints & blemishes
See more results »
(Definition of sore from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

sore | American Dictionary

sore
adjective
us
/sɔr, soʊr/

sore adjective (PAINFUL)

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painful and uncomfortable, esp. (of a body part) because of injury or infection or (of a muscle) from being used too much:
If you have a sore throat, take aspirin.
I went rowing yesterday for the first time in years, and my arms are sore today.

sore adjective (ANGRY)

[ -er/-est only ] infml
angry, esp. because you feel you have been unfairly treated:
Chris wants to win, but he’s not a sore loser.
sore
noun [ C ]
us
/sɔr, soʊr/

sore noun [C] (PAINFUL AREA)

a painful area on the surface of a body, esp. an infected area
(Definition of sore from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of sore

sore
In the complex phase, the s cope of preventive priorities extends to major physical complications, notably falling, skin sores and nutritional problems associated with dysphagia.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Although they often had sores or malformations, it was always suspected that they were in fact able to work but preferred to live off the charity of others.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
The short-term outcome of pressure sores.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Once again we should see the ghastly sprawl of towns and cities, growing like ugly sores across our green countryside.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
Not a single man had any desire to revive old sores or to score on the other party.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
Also, please note the desire in many nations to clean up these running sores of society.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
They were often covered with sores and thoroughly exhausted.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
There are many old sores on both sides of the divide.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
There are attendant risks of dehydration, and pressure sores may develop even after a relatively short time lying on a trolley.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
Why refer to old complaints, sores and the like?
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
I do not want to scratch old sores.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
He told the most ludicrous lies about how those sores had occurred.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
He had to spend a year having intensive treatment to his sores before rehabilitation could proceed.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
The commission also estimates that the cost of treating pressure sores is in excess of £35,000 per episode.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
All these old wounds and sores are reopened.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
See all examples of sore
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
What is the pronunciation of sore?
 

Translations of sore

in Chinese (Traditional)
疼痛的, 痛的，疼痛的, 生氣的…
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in Chinese (Simplified)
疼痛的, 痛的，疼痛的, 生气的…
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in Spanish
dolorido, irritado, llaga…
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in Portuguese
doído, dolorido, ferida…
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in more languages
in Marathi
in Japanese
in Turkish
in French
in Catalan
in Dutch
in Tamil
in Hindi
in Gujarati
in Danish
in Swedish
in Malay
in German
in Norwegian
in Urdu
in Ukrainian
in Telugu
in Bengali
in Czech
in Indonesian
in Thai
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in Polish
in Korean
in Italian
दुखणे…
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痛い, ひりひりする, （皮膚の）赤くなって痛む部分…
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ağrıyan, ağrılı, sızlayan…
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irrité/-ée, plaie [feminine], douloureux…
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adolorit, irritat, úlcera…
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pijnlijk, boos, pijnlijke plek…
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காயம், தொற்று அல்லது அதிகப்படியான பயன்பாடு காரணமாக வலி மற்றும் சங்கடமான…
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(चोट, संक्रमण, या अत्यधिक उपयोग के कारण) दुखना…
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ઇજા, ચેપ, અથવા વધુ પડતા ઉપયોગને કારણે પીડાકારક અને આગવડભર્યું…
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øm, irriteret, sår…
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öm, mörbultad, ond…
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sakit, sakit hati, kudis…
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wund, empfindlich, böse…
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sår, sår [neuter], øm…
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درد میں مبتلا, تکلیف میں مبتلا, سوجا ہوا…
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болючий, запалений, хворий…
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నొప్పి…
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ক্ষত, সংক্রমণ বা অতি ব্যবহারের কারণে যন্ত্রণাদায়ক এবং কষ্টকর…
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bolavý, rozbolavělý, rozzlobený…
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nyeri, menderita sakit, kesal…
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เจ็บปวด, ปวด, อักเสบ…
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đau, nhức nhối, cảm thấy đau…
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bolesny, obolały, owrzodzenie…
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아픈, 감염으로 빨갛게 된 상처…
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irritato, infiammato, indolenzito…
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sorcery
sordid
sordidly
sordidness
sore
sore loser
sore point
sore throat
soredia BETA

Word of the Day

smooth something over

UK
/smuːð/
US
/smuːð/

to make problems, difficulties, or disagreements less serious or easier to solve, usually by talking to the people involved

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