drilling

¹

[dril-ing]

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that drills. drill.

drilling

²

[dril-ing]

noun

1. drill.

Word History and Origins

Origin of drilling¹

First recorded in 1615–25; drill ¹ + -ing ¹

Origin of drilling²

1630–40; alteration of German Drillich, itself alteration of Latin trilīx triple-twilled ( German dri- three- replacing Latin tri- )

Example Sentences

In the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico, drillers that once spent more than two weeks drilling a well can now drill horizontal wells extending over nearly 2 miles in just four days.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The effort required drilling holes into the balls, to attach wooden rods meant to be chemical bonds.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“I was learning how to take the guns apart and drilling with them.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The bill circumvents a decade of legal challenges by environmental groups seeking to stymie drilling in the county that produces about three-fourths of the state’s crude oil.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It involves drilling into the earth and directing a high-pressure mixture of water, sand and chemicals at a rock layer, to release the gas inside.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• act 
• action 
• activity 
• drill 
• examination 
• lesson 
• movement 
• operation 
• performance 
• problem 
• study 
• task 
• test 
• training 
• workout