drill down

verb

drilled down; drilling down; drills down

transitive + intransitive

: to thoroughly consider or analyze : examine

If you drill down into his platform, it's mostly the same stuff Democrats support, but more of it …

—Jonathan Chait

Although drilling down into all of the complications of the 2007 to 2009 economic and financial crisis is a task requiring more verbosity than a column permits, a quick rundown for context is worthwhile.

—M. Ray Perryman

But we don't have much data that drills down on the voting preferences of people in specific jobs, to distinguish between, say, dishwashers and factory workers.

—Irv Randolph

Matches are based on a lengthy questionnaire that drills down the specifics of your dating preferences and personality.

—Dorothy Pitti

Examples of drill down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To cope with that relentlessness, Gunderson then moved the drill down to the 10-yard line in order to get Johnson back into the huddle sooner. —Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 15 Oct. 2025

In addition to trop trending costumes, Google drilled down to reveal the most searched for couple's costumes, dog costumes, makeup and Halloween decorations. —John Tufts, IndyStar, 10 Oct. 2025

Northern’s development team Crescendo will now look for other developers to drill down on what should actually go on each of the 10 parcels making up the 150-acre property. —Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Oct. 2025

Yet, too many will still drill down and find fault with what Charlie Kirk said at some point in his activism. —Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 23 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for drill down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown