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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to pierce
to make a hole or series of holes in
the nerve-jangling sound when a dentist drills a tooth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to shoot
to strike with a missile from a gun
drilled the target from 100 yards away
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of drill
Comfort Ero, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
Flying is the company’s second Nova-C lander named Athena featuring NASA’s PRIME-1 drill, to land a drill and mass spectrometer near the south pole of the moon in order to demonstrate the feasibility of in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) and measure the volatile content of subsurface samples.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2026
C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 10 Jan. 2026
These are people that drill oil in some pretty rough places.
—CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for drill
Noun
Indeed, Trump in December approved an $11 billion weapons package for Taipei, prompting Beijing to stage one of its most aggressive military drills ever around the island.
—Comfort Ero, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
Flying is the company’s second Nova-C lander named Athena featuring NASA’s PRIME-1 drill, to land a drill and mass spectrometer near the south pole of the moon in order to demonstrate the feasibility of in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) and measure the volatile content of subsurface samples.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2026
Verb
Dëmin finally stopped the bleeding out of the huddle, drilling a left-corner 3 to give Brooklyn a pulse, but the climb was steep from there.
—C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 10 Jan. 2026
These are people that drill oil in some pretty rough places.
—CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for drill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drill
Noun
-
Hand creams are often a forgotten but very important part of any anti-aging routine, especially during the cooler months.—
Kaitlin Clapinski,
InStyle,
11 Jan. 2026
-
This shampoo and conditioner combo have both of those key ingredients and won’t add an extra step to your beauty routine.—
Rylee Johnston,
PEOPLE,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Different exercises train different brain skills, but resistance training may be one of the best ways to protect your overall brain health.—
Marisa McMillan,
Outside,
9 Jan. 2026
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Kettlebell Squat Squats are another energy-demanding exercise that primarily targets your major leg muscles like your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves, while also engaging your core for stability.—
Jakob Roze,
Health,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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This model is new to Amazon this month and comes with 35 different grind settings and brewing method options for espresso, French press, and pour-overs.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
7 Jan. 2026
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Most people have experienced the maddening grind of trying to fix a billing mistake, appeal an insurance decision or schedule a medical appointment, only to be pulled into a maze of forms, portals and hold music.—
Nitin Ware,
Washington Post,
5 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
His parents recalled playfully hitting him with pool noodles during his progressions, a routine that eventually drew in a growing group of neighborhood kids for daily practices.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
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Legal observers often attend police actions to document and monitor law enforcement behavior − a common practice used by activists from the Black Panthers in the 1960s and 1970s to Northern Ireland during The Troubles.—
Bebe Hodges,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
While the Leafs pumped Hildeby’s tires leading into this season — and it was deserved after a great training camp — his appearance Saturday marked his first in the NHL this season.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Some 65% of the nonprofit’s most server-straining traffic now comes from bots, some of which scrape the site to feed into chatbots for training.—
Harry Booth,
Time,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drill. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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