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
Their one-on-one drills with the pads on against Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo will be must watch in August. Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 16 June 2025 Mastercard runs quantum-threat drills inside its Cybersecurity Fusion Centers and has already swapped post-quantum algorithms into some internal message pipes. Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
Verb
The Rays put the finishing touches on Sunday’s rout when 21-year-old phenom Junior Caminero drilled a three-run home run off Ryne Stanek in the ninth. Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 15 June 2025 The Rays put the finishing touches on their big weekend when 21-year-old phenom Junior Caminero drilled a three-run home run off Ryne Stanek in the ninth. Peter Sblendorio, Hartford Courant, 15 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for drill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drill
Noun
  • The problem with that habit memory, or that basal ganglia, is that when there's a change in that normal routine … your basal ganglia can't account for that.
    Audrey Conklin, FOXNews.com, 25 June 2025
  • And many would benefit from incorporating an eye serum into their routine, either alone or beneath an eye cream.
    Deanna Pai, Vogue, 25 June 2025
Noun
  • The point of this exercise was to see where Montreal fits in the marketplace.
    Arpon Basu, New York Times, 21 June 2025
  • The exercise of writing is to think about your own thinking, to put ideas into form and interrogate them.
    Lindsey Witmer Collins, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
Noun
  • But, in Dick’s opinion, Charlie grew tired of baseball’s daily grind.
    Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 22 June 2025
  • The same is true for the NCAA insisting that students don’t qualify as employees of the colleges, despite the full-time daily grind of most players; colleges thereby save the vast expense of entering into an actual commercial relationship with their work force.
    Guy Lawson, Rolling Stone, 22 June 2025
Noun
  • Canales kept Plummer on the practice squad for pretty much the entire 2024 season, save one game late in the year, and only spoke highly of him.
    Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 30 June 2025
  • This means all the other events prior to race day, including qualifying, practice sessions, and media day, will take place one day earlier than usual.
    Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
Noun
  • Townsend is creating a nonprofit aimed at building camps and training spaces where young tennis players can be exposed to the sport and deepen their skills.
    Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
  • For 35 years, the ABA’s Rule of Law Initiative (ROLI) has strengthened legal institutions in more than 100 countries, training judges, supporting lawyers, and fostering respect for human rights.
    Michael Posner, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Drill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drill. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.

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