drill
1 Americannoun
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Machinery, Building Trades.
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a shaftlike tool with two or more cutting edges for making holes in firm materials, especially by rotation.
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a tool, especially a hand tool, for holding and operating such a tool.
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Military.
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training in formal marching or other precise military or naval movements.
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an exercise in such training.
gun drill.
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any strict, methodical, repetitive, or mechanical training, instruction, or exercise.
a spelling drill.
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the correct or customary manner of proceeding.
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Also called snail bore. a gastropod, Urosalpinx cinera, that bores holes in shellfish, as oysters.
verb (used with object)
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to pierce or bore a hole in (something).
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to make (a hole) by boring.
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Military. to instruct and exercise (military trainees) in formation marching and movement, in the carrying of arms during formal marching, and in the formal handling of arms for ceremonies and guard duty.
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to impart (knowledge) by strict training, discipline, or repetition.
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to train or rehearse (a person or group) in a subject, discipline, etc., by guided repetition, quizzing, and other techniques.
verb (used without object)
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to pierce or bore something with or as with a drill.
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to penetrate deeply beneath the ground or the seafloor with specialized machinery to search for deposits or reservoirs of a natural substance.
to drill for oil.
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to go through exercise in military or other training.
verb phrase
noun
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a small furrow made in the soil in which to sow seeds.
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a row of seeds or plants thus sown.
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a machine for sowing in rows and for covering the seeds when sown.
verb (used with object)
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to sow (seed) in drills.
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to sow or plant (soil, a plot of ground, etc.) in drills.
verb (used without object)
noun
noun
noun
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a rotating tool that is inserted into a drilling machine or tool for boring cylindrical holes
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a hand tool, either manually or electrically operated, for drilling holes
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military
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training in procedures or movements, as for ceremonial parades or the use of weapons
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( as modifier )
drill hall
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strict and often repetitious training or exercises used as a method of teaching
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informal correct procedure or routine
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a marine gastropod mollusc, Urosalpinx cinera, closely related to the whelk, that preys on oysters
verb
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to pierce, bore, or cut (a hole) in (material) with or as if with a drill
to drill a hole
to drill metal
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to instruct or be instructed in military procedures or movements
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(tr) to teach by rigorous exercises or training
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informal (tr) to hit (a ball) in a straight line at great speed
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informal (tr) to riddle with bullets
noun
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a machine for planting seeds in rows or depositing fertilizer
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a small furrow in which seeds are sown
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a row of seeds planted using a drill
verb
noun
noun
Usage
What else does drill mean? In music and pop culture, drill is a style of hip-hop known for grim, violent lyrics and gritty, intense beats. Drawing on Southern rap, drill originated in Chicago in the 2010s and influenced, among others, a UK style of hip-hop known as UK drill.What are some other words related to drill?
- grime
- mumble rap
- trap music
Related Words
See exercise.
Other Word Forms
- drillability noun
- drillable adjective
- driller noun
- undrillable adjective
Etymology
Origin of drill1
First recorded in 1605–15; from Dutch dril (noun), drillen (verb)
Origin of drill2
First recorded in 1720–30; compare drill “rill,” German Rille “furrow,” rillen “to groove”
Origin of drill3
First recorded in 1735–45; short for drilling 2
Origin of drill4
First recorded in 1635–45; of obscure origin; mandrill
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"It's amazing because we're not only helping the American drilling companies, but also the Venezuelan private companies in the oil and gas sector to buy quality US-made drill rigs," he said.
From Barron's
From the non-striker's end he watched two wickets, failed to get on strike, then drilled the first ball of Madushanka's final over into the hands of cover.
From BBC
As in their previous investigations, the researchers examined Ediacaran age rocks collected from drill cores and outcrops in Oman, western India, and Siberia.
From Science Daily
Aircraft from the three nations patrolled over the Philippines' northernmost Batanes islands in drills aimed at showcasing their "ability to operate seamlessly together in complex maritime environments", the Philippine military said in a statement.
From Barron's
Using a drill, they bore through, but the drill’s bit fell off and dropped into the drillhole.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
