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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shooting
to strike with a missile from a gun
drilled the target from 100 yards away
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in planting
to put or set into the ground to grow
he drills soybeans in the same rows with corn
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 drilling
Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 4 June 2026
Any time not spent on active duty is completed in reserve status, often the Individual Ready Reserve, meaning the physician is not drilling but remains subject to recall.
—Robert Krasner, STAT, 1 June 2026
The company has already spent $300 million drilling Highlander 2.
—Christopher Helman, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Painting outdoor wooden house features may also deter carpenter bees from drilling and making nests.
—Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 30 May 2026
On the way to the next stop, a Tenaris steel plant that produces pipes for drilling oil and gas wells, Khanna suggested his industrial bank would be less vulnerable to political attacks that undermined some of the tax credit regimes that came before.
—Garrett Downs, CNBC, 28 May 2026
One of the biggest trends is toward minimally invasive dentistry, which limits drilling when possible.
—The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2026
At the end of Season 2, Tommy manages to get funding to continue drilling in the oil field Cooper has discovered.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 26 May 2026
Swanson, who entered the match in the second half, dribbled through Bay’s defensive end before drilling the ball with her left foot into the lower corner.
—Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 25 May 2026
Verb
After drilling a 3-pointer on the Knicks’ opening possession, Brunson missed his next six shots.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 4 June 2026
Any time not spent on active duty is completed in reserve status, often the Individual Ready Reserve, meaning the physician is not drilling but remains subject to recall.
—Robert Krasner, STAT, 1 June 2026
The company has already spent $300 million drilling Highlander 2.
—Christopher Helman, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Painting outdoor wooden house features may also deter carpenter bees from drilling and making nests.
—Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 30 May 2026
On the way to the next stop, a Tenaris steel plant that produces pipes for drilling oil and gas wells, Khanna suggested his industrial bank would be less vulnerable to political attacks that undermined some of the tax credit regimes that came before.
—Garrett Downs, CNBC, 28 May 2026
One of the biggest trends is toward minimally invasive dentistry, which limits drilling when possible.
—The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2026
At the end of Season 2, Tommy manages to get funding to continue drilling in the oil field Cooper has discovered.
—Joe Otterson, Variety, 26 May 2026
Swanson, who entered the match in the second half, dribbled through Bay’s defensive end before drilling the ball with her left foot into the lower corner.
—Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 25 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drilling
Verb
-
It’s designed to deter unwanted encounters by attracting attention with a piercing siren and strobe light when the top is pulled.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
31 May 2026
-
My laugh is loud, if not to say piercing.—
Megan McArdle,
Washington Post,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
According to Marcia, George was convinced he’d be laughed out of Hollywood because in the original script characters were running around and shooting at one another and nobody was getting hurt.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
-
Soaring through skies, dodging obstacles, and shooting tiny robots and giant bosses felt great to begin with, and none of it needs to change significantly.—
Will Greenwald,
PC Magazine,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Consider planting seeds for a second harvest of okra, squash, and cucumbers that mature quickly.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
31 May 2026
-
Try planting a ring of parsley around the trunks of apple trees as part of a fruit guild, or grow a few parsley plants in pots and move them beneath the trees when the parsley starts flowering.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
LaBeouf’s campaign of terror ended when he was arrested for punching several people outside the Royal Street Inn & R Bar.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
-
Actor Shia LaBeouf pleaded guilty Wednesday to three counts of simple battery for punching people outside a New Orleans bar in February during Mardi Gras.—
JACK BROOK,
ABC News,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Tight end Walker Lyons, a transfer from USC, is an intriguing addition, and the Cougars did a good job of plugging holes on the O-line.—
Sam Khan Jr,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
-
French maintained a tight lead against incumbent Jim Wright, a fifth-generation rancher running for his second term whose primary campaign priorities included reducing red tape for new oil production, plugging orphan wells, and defending landowner rights.—
Emily Holshouser
May 27,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Underneath the topmost layer (a user clicking through a browser), a comprehensive E2E setup involves mocking production endpoints, intercepting network requests, seeding databases, making precise assertions at every layer of the stack and integrating tightly with CI pipelines.—
Ethan Pronev,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
But before the pathogen was identified, some 30 passengers had disembarked and flown home to 12 countries, potentially seeding the planet with a virus that kills 38% of its victims.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
The maximum memory capacity is now an eye-popping 256GB of DDR5, via four SO-DIMM RAM slots.—
John Burek,
PC Magazine,
29 May 2026
-
King Arthur manuscript goes on sale A rare medieval manuscript featuring early tales of King Arthur and Merlin, which has been in private hands for about 700 years, is heading to auction with an eye-popping price tag.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drilling. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
