Word
drill
US/ˈdɹɪɫ/
UK/dɹˈɪl/
Definitions
01a tool
n. a tool or machine with a rotating end used for making holes in hard materials.
n. a handheld or stationary power tool used for boring holes in various materials by means of a rotating bit.
“He used an electric drill to hang the new shelves in the kitchen.”
“The carpenter selected a high-torque drill to penetrate the dense oak beams without splintering the wood.”
Synonyms
02practice exercise
n. a regular activity or exercise that you repeat to learn a skill or prepare for an emergency.
n. a repetitive training exercise designed to instill a specific skill or to prepare for emergency procedures through habituation.
“The school holds a fire drill every month so students know the exit routes.”
“The coach insisted on a series of passing drills to ensure the players could maintain possession under heavy defensive pressure.”
03music genre
n. a style of hip-hop music with dark, violent lyrics and a heavy beat.
n. a subgenre of trap music characterized by dark, nihilistic lyrical content and distinct rhythmic patterns, originating in Chicago.
“He listens to a lot of UK drill while he is working out at the gym.”
“The rise of drill music has sparked significant sociological debate regarding the relationship between urban art forms and local crime rates.”
Slang
Synonyms
04to make a hole
v. to make a hole in something using a special tool.
v. to bore a hole into a solid surface by removing material with a rotating cutting instrument.
“They had to drill through the concrete wall to install the new pipes.”
“Engineers plan to drill several exploratory wells to determine the extent of the underground reservoir.”
05to teach by repetition
v. to teach someone something by making them repeat it many times.
v. to instruct or train someone through rigorous, repetitive exercise or persistent questioning.
“The teacher drilled the students on their multiplication tables every morning.”
“The sergeant drilled the recruits for hours until their response to every command was instantaneous and precise.”
06to investigate
v. to look into something very deeply to find more details.
v. to investigate or examine a topic or data set in increasing levels of detail; often used with 'down'.
“We need to drill down into the sales figures to see why they are falling.”
“The analyst decided to drill down into the regional data to identify specific market segments that were underperforming.”
Academic
Usage
Often used as the phrasal verb 'drill down' followed by the preposition 'into'.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle Dutch drillen (“bore, move in a circle”).
Perhaps the same as Etymology 3; compare German Rille which can also mean "small furrow".
Uncertain. Compare the same sense of trill, and German trillen, drillen. Attestation predates Etymology 1.
From Middle English drillen (“to delay, defer, put off”), of origin unknown.
] Source unknown. Probably of African origin; compare mandrill.
From German Drillich (“denim, canvas, drill”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Idioms
drill down — To examine information at another level or in greater detail; especially in a database, to navigate to a more detailed level or record.
fire drill — Any pointless, unproductive, useless, or chaotic activity.
know the drill — To be acquainted with the normal process or procedure of a given activity or situation; to be familiar with how something is done.
sack drill — Sleep.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/drill