1
as in pierced
to make a hole or series of holes in
the nerve-jangling sound when a dentist drills a tooth
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2
as in popped
to strike with a missile from a gun
drilled the target from 100 yards away
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Recent Examples of drilled
Will Graves, Twin Cities, 13 Jan. 2026
Jennings made the throw while getting drilled by All-Pro defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who was flagged for roughing the passer.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 12 Jan. 2026
But the Wolf Pack dropped to 75 with the loss against SDSU, then slipped to 79 the next day when Boise State — their best win of the season — got drilled at home by Grand Canyon and fell as well, dragging down all their opponents with them.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
Brown drilled two 3-pointers in the final two minutes of the third, including a stepback over 2025 Rookie of the Year in Castle.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 11 Jan. 2026
The score was tied at 101-101 after Jake LaRavia (13 points) drilled a three-pointer off a pass from Doncic.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2026
While heavy crude oil is what is predominantly being drilled for today, its viscous consistency and high levels of metals and sulfur mean extracting and refining this product is significantly more costly than its light crude counterpart.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
Capping two solid seasons for the Huskies, Freeman drilled a 49-yard field goal off the frozen, slick turf in frigid weather, worth noting for NFL teams in the Northeast and Upper Midwest.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 4 Jan. 2026
The perpetrators drilled through a thick concrete wall at a branch of Sparkasse bank in the western city of Gelsenkirchen and then broke into several thousand safe deposit boxes and stole a sum estimated in the double-digit millions of euros, the police said in a statement.
—Reuters, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
Verb
The final came Monday night, when the AFC North champions squandered some early momentum before getting drilled 30-6 by Houston, the most lopsided home playoff loss in team history.
—Will Graves, Twin Cities, 13 Jan. 2026
Jennings made the throw while getting drilled by All-Pro defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who was flagged for roughing the passer.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 12 Jan. 2026
But the Wolf Pack dropped to 75 with the loss against SDSU, then slipped to 79 the next day when Boise State — their best win of the season — got drilled at home by Grand Canyon and fell as well, dragging down all their opponents with them.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
Brown drilled two 3-pointers in the final two minutes of the third, including a stepback over 2025 Rookie of the Year in Castle.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 11 Jan. 2026
The score was tied at 101-101 after Jake LaRavia (13 points) drilled a three-pointer off a pass from Doncic.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2026
While heavy crude oil is what is predominantly being drilled for today, its viscous consistency and high levels of metals and sulfur mean extracting and refining this product is significantly more costly than its light crude counterpart.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2026
Capping two solid seasons for the Huskies, Freeman drilled a 49-yard field goal off the frozen, slick turf in frigid weather, worth noting for NFL teams in the Northeast and Upper Midwest.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 4 Jan. 2026
The perpetrators drilled through a thick concrete wall at a branch of Sparkasse bank in the western city of Gelsenkirchen and then broke into several thousand safe deposit boxes and stole a sum estimated in the double-digit millions of euros, the police said in a statement.
—Reuters, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drilled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drilled. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.
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