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drill

verb · noun

Simple meaning

To create by removing material with a drill.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

dril
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈdɹɪl

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. Train in the military, e.g., in the use of weapons

  2. intransitive

    To practice, especially in (or as in) a military context.

  3. ergative

    To cause to drill (practice); to train in military arts.

  4. transitive

    To repeat an idea frequently in order to encourage someone to remember it.

  5. transitive

    To throw, run, hit or kick with a lot of power.

  6. transitive

    To cause to flow in drills or rills or by trickling; to drain by trickling.

noun

  1. A tool or machine used to remove material so as to create a hole, typically by plunging a rotating cutting bit into a stationary workpiece.

  2. A short and highly repeatable sports training exercise designed to hone a particular skill that may be useful in competition.

  3. An agricultural implement for making holes for sowing seed, and sometimes so formed as to contain seeds and drop them into the hole made.

  4. A light furrow or channel made to put seed into, when sowing.

  5. A row of seed sown in a furrow.

  6. Similar to the mandrill but smaller and less brightly colored

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

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More ways to use drill

  • “We drilled French verbs every day.”verb
  • “Don't drill here, there's a gas pipe.”verb

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Create / make

drill holehand drill

Other combinations

drill bitfire drilldrill sergeantdrill piperock drilldiamond drill

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • drillingnounInflected form

    The act of drilling.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • drill holenounCompound term

    A hole or passage made by a drill.

  • drill inverbCompound term

    Teach by drills and repetition.

  • drill instructornounCompound term

    A noncommissioned officer who instructs recruits in military marching and discipline.

  • drill masternounCompound term

    A noncommissioned officer who instructs recruits in military marching and discipline.

  • drill pressnounCompound term

    A machine tool with a separate, upright stand.

  • drill rignounCompound term

    Rig used in drilling for oil or gas.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: train in the military or e.g

bore

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.