pore

Everyday

1. A pore is a tiny hole in skin, a leaf or a rock that lets sweat, air or water pass through. tree →
2. To pore over something means to read or study it very carefully for a long time. tree →

In the lessons

In science, skin has pores for sweat, leaves have tiny pores (stomata) for gases, and soil and rock have pores that hold water. In everyday life people talk about clean or blocked pores. In stories a character might pore over a map or an old book looking for a clue. Phrase: pore over.

Examples

• Sweat comes out through tiny pores in your skin. tree →
• Leaves breathe through pores on their underside. tree →
• Sponges are full of pores. tree →
• Water soaks into the pores of the sandstone. tree →
• She pored over the treasure map all evening. tree →
• Detectives pored over the old letters. tree →
• We pored over the instructions before building the model. tree →
• Virgilius was fond of books, and pored over them all day long. tree →

Note

Countable noun: one pore, many pores. The verb is almost always pore over. Homophones: pour (pour water) and poor (having little money) sound the same in many accents. Trap: you pore over a book (study it), you do not pour over it, though people often misspell it.