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 Scientists there eventually managed to drill down more than ten thousand feet. Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2024 The college debater in me marveled that Walz didn’t really point out that disconnect or drill down on the issue that matters most. Diane Brady, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2024 In addition, on Instagram Grimes said sorry/not sorry for changing the song’s alluring chorus and drilling down on a lyric she was entranced by. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 20 Sep. 2024 Hurley didn’t exactly drill down on the pick, which was Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht. Bob Raissman, New York Daily News, 29 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for drill down 

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

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of drill down was in 1996

Dictionary Entries Near drill down

Cite this Entry

“Drill down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drill%20down. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.

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