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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in popped
to strike with a missile from a gun drilled the target from 100 yards away

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
This is out of kilter with the other younger referees coming through, who either lack personality or have been drilled not to show it. — Graham Scott, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 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 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
  • Her brown leather jacket was pierced with 60 stab wounds, and her throat had been slashed nearly ear to ear.
    — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of pierced
Verb
  • Lobbying blitz on Capitol Hill A dizzying array of new lobbying groups have also popped up on both sides.
    — Marshall Cohen, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The offensive player who popped The Chiefs made a big splash atop their running-back depth chart in the offseason.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of popped
Verb
  • Proceeds from ticket sales will go toward the musicians, money needed to restore the ashram Coltrane established that burned in the 2018 Woolsey fire and to TreePeople, a local nonprofit that has planted more than 3 million trees in our region.
    — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
  • In turn, Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios filed a defamation suit, which claimed Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, had planted false claims in order to take over creative control of the film.
    — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of planted
Verb
  • The first arrest came in May 2025, after Rodriguez allegedly punched his father in the face when asked to turn off his loud music, according to court records.
    — Harry Harris, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Police say Moore stole cash from a woman, then punched her and a second woman when he was confronted.
    — Jessica Riley, CBS News, 25 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
  • Better together Industry analysts, experts and insiders have consistently poked holes in the states' argument that the combination of TV networks would create antitrust issues.
    — Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 24 Aug. 2026
  • So too were the buildings, including my hotel, which poked through the seven-foot-high snowbanks, looking like an ancient shipwreck covered in shifting sand.
    — Adam H. Graham, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of poked
Verb
  • In the first Fox Squirrel Cup at Rio Pinar, Christian Koehn shot 33 for LHP in the win over Winter Park, which was led by Lawson Hovey’s 32.
    — Steve Gorches, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The production was shot across multiple locations, including European palaces and other elaborate sets, according to Disney+.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 26 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 1 Sep. 2026.

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