drilling
n. uncountablen. the act of making a hole in something hard using a tool. It also describes the process of taking oil or gas out of the ground.
n. the process of boring a hole into a solid surface or the earth, typically for construction or resource extraction. Often used in industrial contexts to describe the systematic removal of material.
The noise from the drilling kept me awake all morning.
The company began offshore drilling last month to search for new oil reserves under the seabed.
Environmental groups expressed concern that the proposed deep-sea drilling would disrupt fragile marine ecosystems and lead to irreversible biodiversity loss in the region.
From drill + -ing.
From German Drilling (“gun with three barrels; triplet”).
Frequently functions as a gerund-noun; often modified by its purpose, such as 'oil drilling' or 'dental drilling'.