Synonyms of drills

drills 1 of 3

noun

plural of drill

1

as in routines

an established and often automatic or monotonous series of actions followed when engaging in some activity

shuttling the kids between extracurricular activities is all part of the suburban drill

Synonyms & Similar Words

• routines
• grinds
• ruts
• grooves
• patterns
• techniques
• habits
• rotes
• methods
• treadmills
• practices
• locksteps
• procedures
• strategies
• regimens
• programs
• plans
• traditions
• approaches
• styles
• customs
• tricks
• tacks
• policies
• schemes
• housekeepings
• manners
• daily dozens
• designs
• fashions
• conventions
• ways
• wonts

2

as in exercises

something done over and over in order to develop skill

doing vocabulary drills all afternoon in preparation for the test

Synonyms & Similar Words

• exercises
• practices
• lessons
• workouts
• trainings
• routines
• homeworks
• assignments
• refreshers
• brushups
• reviews

drills

2 of 3

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of drill

1

as in punches

to make a hole or series of holes in

the nerve-jangling sound when a dentist drills a tooth

Synonyms & Similar Words

• punches
• holes
• pierces
• pokes
• bores
• punctures
• taps
• perforates
• riddles
• cuts
• penetrates
• breaks
• splits
• broaches
• pricks
• excavates
• slashes
• grooves
• burrows (into)
• slits
• gouges
• hollows
• ruptures
• notches
• rends
• prickles
• gashes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fills
• plugs
• seals
• patches

2

as in shoots

to strike with a missile from a gun

drilled the target from 100 yards away

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shoots
• guns
• pops
• plugs
• drops
• kills
• destroys
• slaughters
• pistols
• slays
• brings down
• blows away
• picks off
• machine-guns
• shoots down
• fires (at)
• peppers
• shotguns
• blazes
• dispatches
• blasts (at)
• massacres
• butchers
• tommy-guns
• wipes out
• potshots
• snipes (at)
• ices
• blots out
• fells
• annihilates
• decimates
• does in
• croaks

drills

3 of 3

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of drill

as in plants

to put or set into the ground to grow

he drills soybeans in the same rows with corn

Synonyms & Similar Words

• plants
• seeds
• puts in
• sows
• beds
• transplants
• broadcasts
• replants
• pots
• scatters
• reseeds
• overseeds

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• gathers
• reaps
• harvests

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of drills

Noun

After Tuesday’s practice, Adebayo took advantage of Antetokounmpo’s presence by battling against him in the post during some 1-one-1 drills. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2026

China has long claimed the sovereign territory as its own and regularly conducts large-scale military drills, live-fire exercises and daily air and naval patrols to apply pressure on the island. — Mariam Khan, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026

During defensive line drills, the Future Hall of Famer continues to go third — even when groups are split — rather than lead. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

Miller, though, who is dealing with hip and back ailments, was downgraded to not participating Thursday after he was limited at Wednesday drills. — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026

Later, Mahomes was in full uniform for pregame drills and was wearing the brace. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026

School shooting preparedness drills have been a routine though uncomfortable part of the back-to-school experience. — Emily Greene-Colozzi, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2026

Reuters — North Korea launched two missiles off its eastern coast on Sunday, its second set of tests in roughly a week and days after Pyongyang accused the US of driving tensions on the Korean Peninsula through a series of military drills. — CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026

Following a Day 1 practice full of drills, the second day of training camp offered the first opportunity to compete against each other and see how lines and pairings could jell. — Eduardo A. Encina, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026

Verb

Penix tried a similar process in Week 1, going through agility and movement drills to see how his knee reacted. — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 23 Sep. 2026

Fervo drills a pair of wells more than 2 miles deep, including a lateral well that can extend for more than a mile horizontally. — Pippa Stevens, CNBC, 5 Sep. 2026

Berrios is sidelined right now by a soft tissue injury but was running pretty well on the side of team drills Monday. — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 24 Aug. 2026

Other notes from Panthers-Jaguars practice First-round pick rookie offensive tackle Monroe Freeling held his own in one-on-one drills as well as team drills in practice on Wednesday. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 20 Aug. 2026

The plan was to use the Ulchi Freedom Shield drills to assess systems so Seoul could assume wartime operational control, Yu Ji-hoon, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, wrote in The Diplomat. — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026

Taiwan has stepped up the intensity of the Han Kuang drills, incorporating reservists and more civilians into the exercises with a focus on real-world scenarios. — ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026

With Bosa yet to practice in team drills all camp and sidelined the past week with knee tendinitis amid his ACL comeback, the 49ers need to accelerate Height’s participation. — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2026

The Jets and Buccaneers were in the middle of special teams drills late in practice when Stiggers came to the sideline and briefly lost consciousness. — Cbs New York Team, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026