drill

1 of 6

verb (1)

drilled; drilling; drills

transitive verb

1
a
: to fix something in the mind or habit pattern of by repetitive instruction
drill pupils in spelling
b
: to impart or communicate by repetition
c
: to train or exercise in military drill
2
a(1)
: to bore or drive a hole in
(2)
: to make by piercing action
drill a hole
b
: to shoot with or as if with a gun
c(1)
: to propel (something, such as a ball) with force or accuracy
drilled a single to right field
(2)
: to hit with force
drilled the batter with the first pitch

intransitive verb

1
: to make a hole with a drill
2
: to engage in an exercise
drillability noun
drillable adjective
driller noun

drill

2 of 6

noun (1)

1
: an instrument with an edged or pointed end for making holes in hard substances by revolving or by a succession of blows
also : a machine for operating such an instrument
2
: the act or exercise of training soldiers in marching and in executing prescribed movements with a weapon
3
a
: a physical or mental exercise aimed at perfecting facility and skill especially by regular practice
b
: a formal exercise by a team of marchers
c
: the approved, correct, or usual procedure for accomplishing something : routine
4
a
: a marine snail (Urosalpinx cinerea) destructive to oysters by boring through their shells and feeding on the soft parts
b
: any of several mollusks related to the drill
5
: a drilling sound

drill

3 of 6

noun (2)

: a western African baboon (Mandrillus leucophaeus) having a black face and brown coat and closely related to the mandrill

drill

4 of 6

noun (3)

1
a
: a shallow furrow or trench into which seed is sown
b
: a row of seed sown in such a furrow
2
: a planting implement that makes holes or furrows, drops in the seed and sometimes fertilizer, and covers them with earth

drill

5 of 6

verb (2)

drilled; drilling; drills

transitive verb

1
: to sow (seeds) by dropping along a shallow furrow
2
a
: to sow with seed or set with seedlings inserted in drills
b
: to distribute seed or fertilizer in by means of a drill

drill

6 of 6

noun (4)

: a durable cotton twilled fabric

Examples of drill in a Sentence

Verb (1) the nerve-jangling sound when a dentist drills a tooth drilled the target from 100 yards away Noun (1) shuttling the kids between extracurricular activities is all part of the suburban drill doing vocabulary drills all afternoon in preparation for the test Verb (2) he drills soybeans in the same rows with corn
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Zoom in: Researchers at Oregon State analyzed ice cores drilled from the 2-mile-thick ice cap that covers Greenland, with data spanning up to 120,000 years. Kale Williams, Axios, 25 Oct. 2024 Place the anchor into the hole, then slowly drill the screw into the anchor, leaving about a 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of overhang. Rabekah Henderson, Southern Living, 22 Oct. 2024 McManus drilled a 45-yard field goal on the final play of the game to give the Packers a 24-22 win. Rob Reischel, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024 Advertisement After missing a game-winner against the Suns in Palm Desert earlier in the preseason, Knecht drilled a three over 7-foot-3 Bol Bol to force overtime, one of Knecht’s eight threes. Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for drill 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'drill.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Dutch drillen

Noun (2)

origin unknown

Noun (3)

perhaps from drill small stream, from obsolete drill to trickle, drip

Noun (4)

short for drilling

First Known Use

Verb (1)

1619, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun (1)

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1644, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1727, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (2)

circa 1740, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (4)

1743, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of drill was in 1611

Dictionary Entries Near drill

Cite this Entry

“Drill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drill. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

drill

1 of 5 noun
1
: a tool for making holes in hard substances
2
: the training of soldiers in military skill and discipline
3
: a physical or mental exercise regularly practiced
4
: a marine snail that bores through oyster shells and feeds on the soft parts

drill

2 of 5 verb
1
: to instruct or train by repetition
drill a child in multiplication
drill troops
2
: to bore or make a hole in with or as if with a drill
drill a tooth
drill a hole
driller noun

drill

3 of 5 noun
1
: a shallow furrow or trench into which seed is sown
2
: a planting machine that makes holes or furrows, drops in seed, and covers it with earth

drill

4 of 5 verb
: to sow with or as if with a drill

drill

5 of 5 noun
: a strong cotton fabric in twill weave
Etymology

Noun

probably from Dutch dril "a tool for drilling holes," derived from early Dutch drillen (verb) "to drill"

Noun

perhaps from earlier drill "a trickling stream"

Noun

shortened from drilling "heavy cotton fabric," from German Drillich (same meaning)

Medical Definition

drill

1 of 2 transitive verb
: to make a hole in with a drill
the dentist drilled the tooth for a filling

intransitive verb

: to make a hole with a drill
painless dental drilling

drill

2 of 2 noun
: an instrument with an edged or pointed end for making holes in hard substances (as bones or teeth) by revolving

More from Merriam-Webster on drill

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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