drill down

verb

drilled down; drilling down; drills down

transitive + intransitive

: to thoroughly consider or analyze : examine

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

Led by Joan Ruíz, co-ordinator of energetic promotion board Catalan Films, and Alex Navarro, head of the Creative Europe Desk – Media Catalonia, the session will also drill down on Catalonia’s international business models. —John Hopewell, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025

Though there is no one-size-fits-all solution for repair programs, the report encourages brands to drill down their strategies to align with their customer. —Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 4 Nov. 2025

Instead, this is an effort to really drill down on guys who will truly be better in 2025-26. —John Hollinger, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025

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

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