drill

1
[ dril ]
See synonyms for: drilldrilleddrillingdriller on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. Machinery, Building Trades.

    • a shaftlike tool with two or more cutting edges for making holes in firm materials, especially by rotation.

    • a tool, especially a hand tool, for holding and operating such a tool.

  2. Military.

    • training in formal marching or other precise military or naval movements.

    • an exercise in such training: gun drill.

  1. any strict, methodical, repetitive, or mechanical training, instruction, or exercise: a spelling drill.

  2. the correct or customary manner of proceeding.

  3. Also called snail bore [sneyl-bawr] /ˈsneɪl ˌbɔr/ . 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.

  1. 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.

  2. to impart (knowledge) by strict training, discipline, or repetition.

  3. 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.

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

Verb Phrases
  1. drill down,

    • 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.

    • 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.

Origin of drill

1
First recorded in 1605–15; from Dutch dril (noun), drillen (verb)

synonym study For drill

3. See exercise.

Other words from drill

  • drill·a·ble, adjective
  • drill·a·bil·i·ty [dril-uh-bil-i-tee], /ˌdrɪl əˈbɪl ɪ ti/, noun
  • drill·er, noun
  • un·drill·a·ble, adjective

Words Nearby drill

Other definitions for drill (2 of 4)

drill2
[ dril ]

noun
  1. a small furrow made in the soil in which to sow seeds.

  2. a row of seeds or plants thus sown.

  1. 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.

Origin of drill

2
First recorded in 1720–30; compare drill “rill,” German Rille “furrow,” rillen “to groove”

Other words from drill

  • driller, noun

Other definitions for drill (3 of 4)

drill3
[ dril ]

noun
  1. a strong, twilled cotton fabric.

Origin of drill

3
First recorded in 1735–45; short for drilling2

Other definitions for drill (4 of 4)

drill4
[ 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.

Origin of drill

4
First recorded in 1635–45; of obscure origin; cf. mandrill

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use drill in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for drill (1 of 4)

drill1

/ (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

  1. military

    • training in procedures or movements, as for ceremonial parades or the use of weapons

    • (as modifier): drill hall

  2. strict and often repetitious training or exercises used as a method of teaching

  3. informal correct procedure or routine

  4. 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

  1. (tr) to teach by rigorous exercises or training

  2. (tr) informal to hit (a ball) in a straight line at great speed

  3. (tr) informal to riddle with bullets

Origin of drill

1
C17: from Middle Dutch drillen; related to Old High German drāen to turn

Derived forms of drill

  • drillable, adjective
  • driller, noun

British Dictionary definitions for drill (2 of 4)

drill2

/ (drɪl) /


noun
  1. a machine for planting seeds in rows or depositing fertilizer

  2. a small furrow in which seeds are sown

  1. a row of seeds planted using a drill

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

Origin of drill

2
C18: of uncertain origin; compare German Rille furrow

Derived forms of drill

  • driller, noun

British Dictionary definitions for drill (3 of 4)

drill3

drilling

/ (drɪl) /


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

Origin of drill

3
C18: variant of German Drillich, from Latin trilīx, from tri- + līcium thread

British Dictionary definitions for drill (4 of 4)

drill4

/ (drɪl) /


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

Origin of drill

4
C17: from a West African word; compare mandrill

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012