An auger is a tool that drills holes or moves material by using a rotating spiral blade, like a giant corkscrew. If you've ever used a hand-cranked pencil sharpener, you've seen how an auger works: the spiral blade spins and pulls shavings up and out. Farmers use augers to move grain from storage bins into trucks. Construction workers use augers to drill deep holes in the ground for fence posts or building foundations. Ice fishermen use augers to cut through thick lake ice.

The spiral part is called the flighting, and as it spins, it acts like a screw, either boring into material or lifting it upward. Some augers are small enough to hold in your hand, while others are massive machines mounted on tractors.

People often confuse auger with augur, which sounds identical but means something completely different: to predict or be a sign of future events. Remember: an auger makes holes, while an augur forecasts the future.