drill 1 of 3

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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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
Our offensive line, there are drills for it. Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2025 According to head coach Dave Canales, Hunt injured his foot on Wednesday and was shut down after attempting to return to drills. Mike Kaye september 3, Charlotte Observer, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
Just recently, this administration has moved to bring wells 8 and 9 online for water production that were drilled around 2017. Michelle L. Quinn, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2025 Chisel-type beaks are pointed, strong and heavy, allowing birds to drill or dig into wood to find food or create nests. Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for drill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drill
Noun
  • His illness has limited him to light catch play over the past few days, and the shift in plans meant some slight alterations to his routine, which Ireton ran through with club security.
    Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Afterall, your beauty routine should grow with you—just like confidence, wisdom, and self-love.
    Larry Stansbury, Essence, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • However, not all research has come to the same conclusion here, and the effects and benefits may vary according to the regularity of exposure, type of exercise, or between athletes and average Joes.
    Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Internal carbon pricing can range from a purely hypothetical accounting exercise to actual spending on in-house carbon credits, the proceeds from which go into a fund tapped for carbon-cutting activities like energy efficiency upgrades or building onsite renewables.
    Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Women in their 50s are well into their careers, leaning in and even expanding professionally as their kids have aged and need less in the daily grind.
    Linsey Hughes, Flow Space, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Their 2010 appearance came by virtue of hosting, not through the grind of the qualifiers.
    Sindiswa Mabunda, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The development pool is designed to give younger players access to daily practices, training sessions and a dedicated performance staff.
    Roberta F. Rodrigues, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The Panthers should probably promote practice-squad linebacker Krys Barnes in the coming weeks as insurance for Trevin Wallace, who was a major liability in Week 1 after a really strong summer.
    Mike Kaye September 10, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • And unlike Michelle King, the acting agency chief at the time, Dudek was willing to speed up the new-hire training process to give DOGE access to virtually all of the SSA’s databases.
    Eli Hager, ProPublica, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Apple’s repair staff in the European Union were required to complete training for the tech by the end of last week, suggesting some markets may be about to move over.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 8 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Drill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drill. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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