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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
The placement of the drill hole, not just into a shared wall but directly into the bathroom’s tile, raised concerns about potential water damage and serious questions about what, exactly, the neighbors were doing. Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025 The laser drill sidesteps both problems by keeping all instruments at the surface. Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
Little drilled a 68-yard field goal in a 30-29 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders to set the record for the longest field goal made in NFL history. Chris Bumbaca, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025 On Thursday, the Senate voted 52-45 to overturn the decision, which limits the amount of land in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska available for drilling to 52%. Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for drill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drill
Noun
  • In part, the McKinley administration standardized various press protocols and routines involved in managing the press corps—holding somewhat regular briefings, for example, and carefully timing White House announcements.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Your best bet for starting a routine that sticks?
    Julia Sullivan, Health, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The Kremlin said the exercise evaluated the readiness of its military commands.
    Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
  • These elements may help support consistency and improve the overall exercise experience over time.
    Jason Phillips, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Myers, who wrote the film with Geoff Bakken, has delivered a uniquely modern take on corporate grind that does not shy away from body horror.
    William Earl, Variety, 5 Nov. 2025
  • For me, the feeling of nailing a big, screen-clearing combo while the music swells to a crescendo is well worth the grind.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 4 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • But the nation's approximately 232 million people are split near evenly between Muslims and Christians, with smaller percentages following other practices, including indigenous beliefs.
    Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
  • This practice had its own history, another tributary to the overshoot conjuncture that weighed heavily on its future course.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Drill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drill. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on drill

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!