drilled 1 of 2

verb (1)

past tense of drill
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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drilled

2 of 2

verb (2)

past tense of drill
as in planted
to put or set into the ground to grow he drills soybeans in the same rows with corn

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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 drilled
Verb
And when teammate Harrison Butker drilled a 69-yard field goal, Mahomes literally jumped for joy during the game in Tampa, Florida. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 23 Aug. 2026 And rookie kicker Dominic Zvada drilled the 40-yard field goal as time expired. — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 20 Aug. 2026 Oswalt grooved a get-me-over fastball for a strike, then Mueller drilled a hard ground ball that third baseman Morgan Ensberg stabbed. — Stephen J. Nesbitt, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 Peters then drilled a first-pitch fastball from Tigers starter Jackson Jobe over the right-field wall for the tying two-run home run, his seventh of the season. — Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026 Siri, who was pinch-hitting, then drilled a double into the gap in left-center, scoring the tying run. — Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 13 Aug. 2026 After the Notre Dame Cathedral fire in Paris in 2019, researchers drilled cores through the limestone vaults and mapped exactly where the heat stopped. — Giorgia Giardina, The Conversation, 13 Aug. 2026 Smack made kicks of 58, 38 and 37 yards and drilled another 58-yarder that didn't count when Green Bay opted to take a personal foul penalty against the Steelers to extend a drive that later ended with Smack converting a shorter field goal. — ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026 They are anchored by shafts drilled to a depth of 36 m (118 ft) into the bedrock and filled with concrete. — New Atlas, 11 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drilled
  1. pierced
  2. popped
  3. planted
  4. punched
  5. plugged
  6. seeded
  7. poked
  8. shot
Verb
  • Investigators believe the bullet that pierced the restaurant window was fired from inside a passing vehicle on Vista Village Drive.
    — Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Poy was wounded in a second land mine explosion that pierced his face and body with shrapnel and killed three of his colleagues.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of pierced
Verb
  • Social media videos have popped up showing young women on scooters wearing helmets, but no headscarves.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Bowry’s inconsistencies popped up for a second straight game, which should give Grable every opportunity to be the Bills’ primary reserve swing tackle to open the season.
    — Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of popped
Verb
  • The latter cover the landscape in the Algarve in late winter; legend has it that the pale pink, almost white, almond trees were planted many centuries ago by a Moorish prince for his homesick Nordic bride to resemble snow.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Crews added more than 114,000 bricks to Kimball’s exterior, installed 1,270 light fixtures and planted 100 new trees.
    — Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of planted
Verb
  • The student also punched the guard in the head, according to the statement.
    — Kathy McCormack, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The 49ers’ defensive highlight came when Warner, of course, punched a ball free from tight end David Njoku.
    — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of punched
Verb
  • Also mentioned around the time of the Remix reveal was an imminent update to the standalone base Polymega unit, which doesn’t need a PC t0 run and can be plugged directly into a TV or monitor via HDMI.
    — Mitch Wallace, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • What a new staff means for Benton The previous coaching staff immediately plugged Benton in as a nose tackle in the base defense and was reluctant to move him.
    — Mike DeFabo, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of plugged
Verb
  • The compensation package also includes a new Player Support Program seeded with an initial $2 million commitment in 2026, equally split between men and women players.
    — Adam Zagoria, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
  • That literally seemingly has injected and seeded lies into the environment.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of seeded
Verb
  • Over the past few years, a steady increase has been reported of workers getting poked by needles in the trash.
    — Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Benson later had a pass poked out by Texans corner Tremon Smith.
    — Sam Warren, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of poked
Verb
  • More than 540 foreign film and TV productions shot in Thailand last year, drawn in part by cash rebates of up to 30% for eligible projects.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 20 Aug. 2026
  • There, in the woods, Berezovska was shot in the head multiple times.
    — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of shot

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Cite this Entry

“Drilled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drilled. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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