drill

¹

[ dril ]

noun

1. Machinery, Building Trades.
   1. a shaftlike tool with two or more cutting edges for making holes in firm materials, especially by rotation.
   2. a tool, especially a hand tool, for holding and operating such a tool.
2. Military.
   1. training in formal marching or other precise military or naval movements.
   2. an exercise in such training:

      gun drill.

3. any strict, methodical, repetitive, or mechanical training, instruction, or exercise:

   a spelling drill.

4. the correct or customary manner of proceeding.
5. Also called snail bore [sneyl, bawr]. a gastropod, Urosalpinx cinera, that bores holes in shellfish, as oysters.

verb (used with object)

1. to pierce or bore a hole in (something).
2. to make (a hole) by boring.
3. 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.
4. to impart (knowledge) by strict training, discipline, or repetition.
5. to train or rehearse (a person or group) in a subject, discipline, etc., by guided repetition, quizzing, and other techniques.

verb (used without object)

1. to pierce or bore something with or as with a drill.
2. 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.

3. to go through exercise in military or other training.

verb phrase

1. 1. Computers. to move through a hierarchical system in order to view data at a lower level, as to find a specific file or database record.
   2. to access and examine something more thoroughly or in more detail:

      Now that you have the big picture, let’s drill down to some technical facts and statistics.

drill

²

[ dril ]

noun

1. a small furrow made in the soil in which to sow seeds.
2. a row of seeds or plants thus sown.
3. a machine for sowing in rows and for covering the seeds when sown.

verb (used with object)

1. to sow (seed) in drills.
2. to sow or plant (soil, a plot of ground, etc.) in drills.

verb (used without object)

1. to sow seed in drills.

drill

³

[ dril ]

noun

1. a strong, twilled cotton fabric.

drill

⁴

[ dril ]

noun

1. a large, baboonlike monkey, Mandrillus leucophaeus, of western Africa, similar to the related mandrill but smaller and less brightly colored: now endangered.

drill

¹

/ drɪl /

noun

1. a machine for planting seeds in rows or depositing fertilizer
2. a small furrow in which seeds are sown
3. a row of seeds planted using a drill

verb

1. to plant (seeds) by means of a drill

drill

²

/ drɪl /

noun

1. a rotating tool that is inserted into a drilling machine or tool for boring cylindrical holes
2. a hand tool, either manually or electrically operated, for drilling holes
3. military
   1. training in procedures or movements, as for ceremonial parades or the use of weapons
   2. ( as modifier )

      drill hall

4. strict and often repetitious training or exercises used as a method of teaching
5. informal.
   correct procedure or routine
6. a marine gastropod mollusc, Urosalpinx cinera, closely related to the whelk, that preys on oysters

verb

1. to pierce, bore, or cut (a hole) in (material) with or as if with a drill

   to drill a hole

   to drill metal

2. to instruct or be instructed in military procedures or movements
3. tr to teach by rigorous exercises or training
4. informal.
   tr to hit (a ball) in a straight line at great speed
5. informal.
   tr to riddle with bullets

drill

³

/ drɪl /

noun

1. an Old World monkey, Mandrillus leucophaeus, of W Africa, related to the mandrill but smaller and less brightly coloured

drill

⁴

/ drɪl /

noun

1. a hard-wearing twill-weave cotton cloth, used for uniforms, etc

Derived Forms

• ˈdriller, noun
• ˈdriller, noun
• ˈdrillable, adjective

Other Words From

• drill·a·ble adjective
• drill·a·bil·i·ty [dril-, uh, -, bil, -i-tee], noun
• drill·er noun
• un·drill·a·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of drill¹

C18: of uncertain origin; compare German Rille furrow

Origin of drill²

C17: from Middle Dutch drillen; related to Old High German drāen to turn

Origin of drill³

C17: from a West African word; compare mandrill

Origin of drill⁴

C18: variant of German Drillich, from Latin trilīx, from tri- + līcium thread

Synonym Study

See exercise.

Example Sentences

Prince may have pranced around like a carefree libertine onstage, but in rehearsal he was more drill sergeant than sprite.

From The Daily Beast

As I forced my exhausted body to exercise, I yelled at my legs like a drill sergeant, demanding five more minutes or one more set.

From The Daily Beast

For example, studies cited in the report have shown a higher incidence of birth defects for people living near drill sites.

From The Daily Beast

In place of horses, underclassmen would pull the field pieces around the drill ground.

From The Daily Beast

And as it turns out, those adorable pink drill bits are potentially facilitating the addition of carcinogens into the environment.

From The Daily Beast

His drill-like nose, his powerful fore-legs and big, strong feet all served to make him the fastest digger in Pleasant Valley.

From Project Gutenberg

A minikin three-and-a-half-feet Colonel, being one day at the drill, was examining a strapper of six feet four.

From Project Gutenberg

She rode the drill every day, like any soldier; and she could take the bugle and direct the evolutions herself.

From Project Gutenberg

They were learning how to drill, how to fire, how to dig ditches and build impromptu forts in haste.

From Project Gutenberg

It was explained that great difficulty frequently exists in getting firemen to take part in a boat drill.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• dig
• penetrate
• punch