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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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
White teen-agers performed moves like the Whoa and the Renegade, and twerked to Jersey club and Chicago drill, not in homage to the cultures that created them but as breezy, frictionless paths to virality. — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026 The company’s current lander drill can reach about 260 feet (80 meters), which would be five times deeper than the initial test well. — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026
Verb
When prices picked up this year, no one expected Chevron or ExxonMobil to suddenly drill more in the US. — Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026 On Wednesday night’s opening possession, Randle sized up Charlotte Hornets forward Naz Reid, took two dribbles to his left, then drilled a turnaround jumper from the free-throw line. — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 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
  • The Sun enters your 6th House, beginning a month focused on routines, responsibilities, health, work, and the systems that keep everything moving.
    — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Elective care is now part of the commercial landscape, giving residents additional options for their personal wellness routine.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of routine
Noun
  • The Society for Integrative Oncology’s guidelines for Complementary Therapies and Botanicals, of which Cohen is himself a co-author, cover mainstream supportive care such as exercise, medical massage, biofeedback, and yoga.
    — Torie Bosch, STAT, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Known as the Special Intensive Revision, the exercise has, according to the protestors, resulted in more than 130 million voters being removed from electoral lists.
    — Asim Ali, Time, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of exercise
Verb
  • The bullet pierced the rear passenger window of Irvine’s car, striking him in the right shoulder and causing his death.
    — Kelsie Cairns , Maria Paronich, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • No wonder some of the film’s most piercing moments are on the periphery.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of pierce
Verb
  • Investigators said the deputy attempted to run away before Reaves shot him four times.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Wyandotte County deputy fatally shot The shooting happened in the 2600 block of South 30th Street as law enforcement officers were providing protection for a woman moving out of a house, police said at the time.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of shoot
Verb
  • Last month, two South Korean soldiers were seriously wounded by what Seoul says were North Korean mines planted as part of those fortifications.
    — Anna Coren, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Overton, however, claimed that both informants were lying — and that the semen found on the comforter was planted on the scene by a spurned ex-lover with connections to the police department.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of plant
Noun
  • Rodney also framed the trend as a backlash against the past decade’s grind and her own generation’s infamous tendency to work themselves to the bone.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Coach Kirby Smart cited his old standby, the grind of the SEC schedule.
    — Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of grind
Noun
  • The latest push to end the practice began in June after an 18-year-old Indian tourist, Romanch Mahajan, died after jumping from a runaway carriage.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The Act, which has been introduced to the Senate but not yet been enacted into law, seeks to establish a program for the active remediation of orbital debris as well as requiring the development of uniform orbital debris standard practices.
    — David Zamora, Space.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of practice
Verb
  • The 25-year-old who was punched refused medical attention at the scene.
    — Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The Rays punched their ticket to baseball’s biggest stage with a 7-3 victory over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, taking the best-of-seven series four games to two.
    — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of punch

Browse Nearby Words

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 28 Oct. 2026.

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