drill 1 of 3

Definition of drillnext
1
as in routine
an established and often automatic or monotonous series of actions followed when engaging in some activity shuttling the kids between extracurricular activities is all part of the suburban drill

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2
as in exercise
something done over and over in order to develop skill doing vocabulary drills all afternoon in preparation for the test

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drill

2 of 3

verb (1)

drill

3 of 3

verb (2)

as in to plant
to put or set into the ground to grow he drills soybeans in the same rows with corn

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of drill
Noun
Over time, Bosch pivoted to vehicular systems, such as ignition coils, drills and other tools. Bestreviews, Mercury News, 28 May 2026 Slater was injured during an innocent-looking drill during training camp and sat out all season. Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 28 May 2026
Verb
The waste will first be sealed inside corrosion-resistant copper canisters before being lowered into disposal holes drilled directly into the bedrock. Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 2 June 2026 Kansas freshman men’s basketball point guard Taylen Kinney’s USA Basketball Under 18 national team drilled Argentina 88-58 in an opening Group A game Monday at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup tournament in Leon, Mexico. Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 2 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for drill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drill
Noun
  • Throughout the testing period, participants recorded how their skin looked and felt, then rated each cream across key factors, including texture, absorption, overnight hydration, and compatibility with existing routines.
    Jenny Berg, InStyle, 4 June 2026
  • This adaptation explains why the hourlong train ride to work can start out as exhausting, but become part of your daily routine.
    Christian B. Miller, The Conversation, 4 June 2026
Noun
  • Also on the wellness menu are group exercise classes, a squeaky clean modern fitness room, and an outdoor Thalasso therapy pool, heated slightly during the day, that uses the natural healing elements of saltwater to alleviate ailments.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
  • Undoubtedly, these reconsiderations have been a largely positive exercise, foregrounding not only more equitable but more accurate and more engaging histories, and opening gallery and museum doors to previously excluded artists (even if many have suffered with the ups and downs of speculation).
    Katy Siegel, Artforum, 2 June 2026
Verb
  • As Stankiewicz attempted to utter another sentence, the train’s ear-piercing horn sounded.
    Jose de Jesus Ortiz, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
  • The county medical examiner said in an autopsy report that Obumseli, who worked in cryptocurrency, died from a forceful downward thrust from a blade that went three inches into his chest, piercing a major artery.
    Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2026
Verb
  • Wherever possible, Arnold shot outside the studio, capturing her subjects going about their everyday lives — a radical approach for celebrity photography at the time.
    Sheena McKenzie, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
  • According to Marcia, George was convinced he’d be laughed out of Hollywood because in the original script characters were running around and shooting at one another and nobody was getting hurt.
    Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2026
Verb
  • The city should not give away its most valuable land opportunity to the first institution willing to plant a flag.
    Christos Korgan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2026
  • After the Soviet flag is planted on the lunar surface for a second time, there's talk of Soviet missions to Venus and building bases on the Moon.
    Richard Edwards, Space.com, 29 May 2026
Noun
  • There’s a certain predictability to the plots in a Taylor Sheridan production — a kind of slow, relentless grind from crisis to crisis, punctuated by occasional eruptions of violence.
    Noel Murray, Vulture, 29 May 2026
  • But that doesn’t change the fact that both players were essential in their own ways to Denver’s survival of the 82-game grind.
    Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 29 May 2026
Noun
  • So much of it comes down to economics, to not being freed from unethical labor practices.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
  • Several other unions also filed unfair labor practices over the unilateral nature of the policy change, which was originally set to be implemented on July 1, 2025.
    Kassia Bonesteel, CBS News, 9 June 2026
Verb
  • Food and drink Cosmo still punches above its weight on dining.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
  • Doorbell video captured Friday appeared to show Hyder punching the woman, 34-year-old Cherrie Moore, in the face several times while also wrestling her to the ground.
    Jericka Duncan, CBS News, 2 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Drill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drill. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.

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