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drill 1 of 3

noun

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)

ˈdril How to pronounce drill (audio)
1
as in to pierce
to make a hole or series of holes in the nerve-jangling sound when a dentist drills a tooth

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to shoot
to strike with a missile from a gun drilled the target from 100 yards away

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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
Then on Wednesday, the Panthers again held Brooks out of team drills without the actual injury being specified -- they aren’t required to do that until next week, when the NFL’s injury reporting kicks in for Week 1. — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2026 That means, at least for now, no robotic arms, drills, or payloads to search for evidence of past or present life. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 1 Sep. 2026
Verb
Scheduled for late 2026, Ceres will drill the world’s first commercial-scale superhot horizontal wells, bringing subterranean power one step closer to the grid. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026 After getting sick, Kimbrel threw one pitch and drilled Miami’s Kyle Stowers in the foot. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for drill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drill
  1. routine
  2. exercise
  3. pierce
  4. shoot
  5. plant
  6. grind
  7. practice
  8. punch
Noun
  • Nearly every player goes through a sophisticated recovery routine, but the common denominator is the most valuable recovery activity of all.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Look for creators to pivot from salt piles to warm salt baths, foot soaks and cooler post-bath routines.
    — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of routine
Noun
  • They may also be put through an exercise test on a treadmill or stationary bike.
    — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The team conducted dozens of complete exercises at sea, along with demonstrations at the pier.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of exercise
Verb
  • Roma arrived at the World Trade Center while both towers stood defiantly tall, each pierced by Boeing 767s, bleeding with jet fuel and spewing smoke that promised to eventually bring them down.
    — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Christmas tree pins have a tiered configuration that compresses rather than pierces the ground (a win for modern synthetic or Mondo tracks).
    — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of pierce
Verb
  • Giffords was shot during an assassination attempt in 2011 but has stayed active in politics since leaving Congress.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 10 Sep. 2026
  • There was just the goalkeeper from the first team who would come and shoot some balls at me.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of shoot
Verb
  • Popular committees stored food for curfews, set up clinics, and planted backyard gardens (until Israel outlawed them in 1988).
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The Buffalo Bills planted new grass at Highmark Stadium 10 months ago.
    — Tim Graham, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of plant
Noun
  • Well, the guys who have been through that grind many times over — Mahomes (10 training camps with Reid), Travis Kelce (14) and Chris Jones (11) — say this training camp was unlike any of those past iterations.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Even college baseball — with its shorter schedule and regular off days — is no stand-in for the grind of a minor league season, which includes at least twice as many games as an elite NCAA program plays in a year.
    — Chad Jennings, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of grind
Noun
  • Bowers dominated the Raiders’ defense in training camp, had success against a top Texans unit in their joint practice and is obviously the key to igniting the offense.
    — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • The nicest of the quartet, Springfield features a large clubhouse, a beautiful practice area with an oversized putting green and a challenging 6,906-yard course that is hilly, woody and will ask you to hit lots of precise shots.
    — Langston Wertz Jr, Charlotte Observer, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of practice
Verb
  • One 49ers linebacker, Dre Greenlaw, held up Rams tight end Tyler Higbee after a short reception early in the fourth quarter, allowing the other, Fred Warner, to swoop in and punch the ball loose.
    — Matt Barrows, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The nonprofit thrift store in Homer Glen has been about six years in the making and opened its doors Thursday as cars parked in a nearby overflow lot and customers enjoyed punch and cookies while browsing through the displays.
    — Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of punch

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drifts
drill
drilled
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Cite this Entry

“Drill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drill. Accessed 16 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on drill

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about drill

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