Synonyms of drilling

drilling 1 of 2

verb (1)

present participle of drill

1

as in piercing

to make a hole or series of holes in

the nerve-jangling sound when a dentist drills a tooth

Synonyms & Similar Words

• piercing
• punching
• poking
• perforating
• puncturing
• tapping
• boring
• holing
• riddling
• cutting
• penetrating
• excavating
• broaching
• breaking
• splitting
• slashing
• pricking
• grooving
• gouging
• hollowing
• prickling
• slitting
• rupturing
• notching
• burrowing (into)
• rending
• gashing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• filling
• sealing
• plugging
• patching

2

as in shooting

to strike with a missile from a gun

drilled the target from 100 yards away

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shooting
• plugging
• popping
• gunning
• killing
• destroying
• dropping
• slaughtering
• slaying
• bringing down
• picking off
• butchering
• firing (at)
• shooting down
• blowing away
• blazing
• peppering
• blasting (at)
• sniping (at)
• dispatching
• potshotting
• massacring
• felling
• decimating
• wiping out
• shotgunning
• pistoling
• annihilating
• blotting out
• machine-gunning
• icing
• doing in
• croaking
• tommy-gunning

drilling

2 of 2

verb (2)

present participle of drill

as in planting

to put or set into the ground to grow

he drills soybeans in the same rows with corn

Synonyms & Similar Words

• planting
• seeding
• putting in
• sowing
• replanting
• transplanting
• broadcasting
• bedding
• potting
• scattering
• reseeding
• overseeding

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• harvesting
• gathering
• reaping

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of drilling

Verb

Jacobs did not run with the starters Thursday, but did register a run-stuff and sniff out a screen for what would have been a loss while drilling with the second unit. — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 30 July 2026

The challenge has been finding large enough deposits that drilling for the universe’s most abundant element is worth the effort. — Alan Ohnsman, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

In June 2023, TotalEnergies officially began drilling for oil in the Tilenga project area within the park. — ABC News, 24 July 2026

Blanco opened that frame with strikeouts of Hicks and Griffin Conine, but Mack followed Marsee by drilling a 3-2 fastball for his eighth homer of the season. — Miami Herald, 21 July 2026

In our data, Republicans ages 18 to 34 were more likely than older Republicans to oppose coal development and drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. — Mayank Kejriwal, The Conversation, 21 July 2026

Curry looked at this film as a romance film disguised as a horror film, to explore these more complex emotions rather than just drilling in on the horror. — Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026

He is expected to travel to Aberdeen in Scotland to push for further drilling in existing oil fields, ahead of upcoming decisions about the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields that sit offshore. — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 20 July 2026

Portugal’s second goal against Uzbekistan in the group stage added even more variety to the mix, with Bruno Fernandes drilling a low effort towards three runners at the near post. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 14 July 2026