Phrasal verb
drill into
Definition
phrasal verb. to teach someone something by repeating it many times until they remember it perfectly.
phrasal verb. to impart knowledge or habits through intensive, repetitive instruction; often implies a forceful or mechanical method of teaching.
Examples
“My coach drills the rules into us every day.”
“The importance of safety was drilled into me from the very first day of my apprenticeship.”
“The philosophy of the firm is drilled into every new recruit during an intensive three-week orientation program designed to ensure total compliance.”
Examples
simple
“My coach drills the rules into us every day.”
contextual
“The importance of safety was drilled into me from the very first day of my apprenticeship.”
complex
“The philosophy of the firm is drilled into every new recruit during an intensive three-week orientation program designed to ensure total compliance.”
Usage
usually follows the pattern 'drill something into someone'.
Teaching tip
connect this to the physical action of a drill tool to help students visualize the idea of 'forcing' information deep into the mind through repetition.
Pitfall
The teacher drilled into the students the facts.
The teacher drilled the facts into the students.
the information being taught usually sits between 'drill' and 'into'.
Phrasal verb
Particles
into
Separability
optional
Pattern
drill + object + into + person
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/drill-into