I. ˈdril transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English drillen to delay
1. now dialect Britain
a. : to waste (time) idly : dawdle
b. : to let (something) continue — used with out or on
2. now dialect Britain : lure , draw
easily drilled on to vote yea
they soon drilled him into the plot
II. intransitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: perhaps alteration of trill — more at trill (to trickle)
obsolete : trickle , drip
III. ˈdril noun
( -s )
archaic : a small trickling stream : rill
IV. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Dutch drillen, from Middle Dutch; akin to Middle High German drillen to turn, round off, Old High German drāen to turn — more at throw
transitive verb
1.
a. : to make (a rounded hole or cavity in a solid) by removing bits with a rotating drill — compare bore 1
b. : to make or excavate a hole in (a solid material) with a drill
they drilled boulders for inserting dynamite sticks
bones drilled for insertion of a pin
drilling a tooth for a filling
c. : to drive a hole in, puncture, or perforate as if with a drill : pierce, penetrate, or drive deep into the interior of
the lightning drilling the hills to the east and upriver — Frederick Way
d. : to open or sink (a well) in the earth by striking a spot repeatedly with a sharp pointed instrument or by using a rotary drill
e. : to shoot through the head or body
would haul out a gun and indiscriminatingly drill them both — Marjorie Brace
also : to penetrate or puncture like a bullet
we are drilled by about 100 cosmic rays every minute of our lives — Stuart Chase
2. archaic : to whirl or twirl like a drill
drill a stick into a pit containing tinder to kindle fire
3.
a. : to instruct thoroughly in the rudiments and methods of any skill or branch of knowledge : discipline
b. : to impart or communicate (ideas) in this way
drill knowledge or sense into a pupil
trade secrets drilled into a man's subconscious
c. : to train or exercise (as a soldier) in military evolutions and in servicing and using weapons and other equipment
4. : to remove (a railroad car) from among others on the same track by switching
the diner to be added to number 41 had already been drilled
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to pierce or sink a hole with a drill
reaming, drilling, and honing are also considered boring operations — H.D.Burghardt & Aaron Axelrod
intending to drill for oil
painless dental drilling
b. : to penetrate in a straight line as if driven with a drill
he sensed that the eyes of the men were drilling into the back of his neck — Fred Majdalany
the violent daylight drilling into the room — Brendan Gill
2. : to practice an exercise : engage in a drill
3. : to give forth a series of metallic percussive sounds or tones
the sharp drilling of the telephone had sounded from the hall — F.M.Ford
4. of a motor vehicle : skid , sideslip
Synonyms: see perforate , practice
V. noun
( -s )
Etymology: in sense 1, probably from Dutch dril, from Middle Dutch, from drillen to drill; in other senses, from drill (IV)
1.
a. : an instrument with an edged or pointed end used for making holes in hard substances ; specifically : a tool that cuts with its end by revolving (as in drilling metals) or by a succession of blows (as in drilling stone) — see cross bit , twist drill ; compare auger , bit I 3a
b. : a drill with the appliance or machine for operating it or the appliance or machine alone (as a drill press or a portable drill)
2. : the act or exercise of training soldiers in the execution of evolutions and the using and servicing of weapons and other equipment ; specifically : a kind or method of military exercise
infantry drill
3.
a. : repetitive instruction and strictly supervised exercise in methods (as of business, sport, education)
we build up habits by drill , but we build up intelligent capacities by training — Gilbert Ryle
b. : a physical or mental exercise aimed at perfecting facility and skill in a particular operation especially by regular practice
the methods were largely lecture and drills for memory, with daily and monthly reviews — H.R.Douglass
c. : a formal exercise by a team of marchers consisting of strictly timed figures and evolutions as part of a ritual or as an exhibition of skill
the competition will continue until each drum corps has completed its drill
d. chiefly Britain : the approved or correct procedure for accomplishing something efficiently
two people who knew the drill perfectly and could easily mount an expedition in the given time — L.J.Van Der Post
4.
a. : a marine snail ( Urosalpinx cinerea ) that is very destructive to oysters on the Atlantic coast of the United States by boring through their shells and feeding on the soft parts
b. : any of several other mollusks of the family Muricidae (as Thais floridana )
5. : sharp closely repeated taps or insistent moderately percussive tones
tried to shut his ears against the sharp drill of his voice — Hamilton Basso
the prolonged drill of cicadas
counted the separate, muffled drills on the wire — Kay Boyle
VI. noun
( -s )
Etymology: probably native name in West Africa
: a West African baboon ( Mandrillus leucophaeus ) closely related to the typical mandrills but smaller and lacking the bright facial coloring of the latter
VII. noun
( -s )
Etymology: perhaps from drill (III)
1.
a. : a shallow furrow or trench into which seed is sown
b. : a row of seed sown in such a furrow
2. : a planting implement that makes holes or furrows, drops in the seed and sometimes fertilizer, and covers them with earth
tractor-drawn drills used to sow wheat
a drill adjusted to four rows at one time of forest-tree seeds
— see hoe drill , plow drill , press drill
VIII. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
1. : to sow (seeds) by dropping along a shallow furrow
he drills soybeans in the same rows with corn to be cut together for silage
2.
a. : to sow with seed or set with seedlings inserted in drills
we've drilled a whole hill with slash pine — Kathleen L. Sutton
b. : to distribute seed or fertilizer in by means of a drill
compare the yields of a drilled acre and a broadcast acre
IX. noun
( -s )
Etymology: back-formation from drilling — more at drilling (fabric)
: a strong durable cotton fabric in twill weave made in various weights for clothing, interior decoration, and industrial uses
X. transitive verb
Etymology: drill (IV)
: to propel (as a ball) with force or accuracy
drilled a single to right field
also : to hit with force
drilled the batter with the first pitch
XI. noun
Etymology: drill (V)
: routine