# drill

Pronunciation: say "DRIL" /dɹɪl/

## Noun

1. A tool or machine that removes material to make a hole, usually by pushing a spinning cutting bit into a fixed object.
   - Simple: A tool that makes holes by spinning a sharp bit into wood, metal, or other material.
   - _The mechanic bored a clean hole through the bracket with a hand drill._
   - _Modern cordless drills can switch between making holes and driving screws._
3. An activity done as exercise or practice, especially a military one, to prepare for a possible future event.
   - Simple: A practice activity you repeat to get ready for something that might happen later.
   - _The crew ran through an emergency evacuation drill before the voyage._
   - _Each drill prepared the recruits for conditions they might face in combat._
5. A short, highly repeatable training exercise designed to sharpen a particular skill useful in competition.
   - Simple: A short exercise you do over and over to get better at one sports skill.
   - _The basketball coach ran a dribbling drill before the scrimmage._
   - _A good footwork drill can improve a player's balance and speed._
9. The mechanism in a drilling tool that supplies the force to turn the cutting bit.
   - Simple: The part of a drilling tool that turns and powers the cutting bit.
   - _The drill transmits torque to the bit through a tightened chuck._
   - _A worn motor in the drill will fail to spin the bit at full speed._
14. A subgenre of trap music marked by gritty, violent lyrics, originating on the South Side of Chicago.
   - Simple: A kind of rap music with harsh, violent lyrics that started on Chicago's South Side.
   - _Critics argue that drill documents the reality of life in certain neighborhoods._
   - _UK drill developed its own sound after the style crossed the Atlantic._
15. An individual performance of drill music.
   - Simple: One song or live show of drill music.
   - _They uploaded the drill they recorded in the basement studio._
   - _Each drill on the mixtape tells a different street story._
16. A farming implement that makes holes for sowing seed, and is sometimes built to hold seeds and drop them into the holes it makes.
   - Simple: A farm machine that makes holes and drops seeds into the soil in rows.
   - _The museum displayed a restored drill that planted seeds in even rows._
   - _Modern drills can sow and fertilize in a single pass._
18. A strong, durable cotton fabric woven with a pronounced diagonal (bias) in the weave.
   - Simple: A tough cotton cloth with a slanted, diagonal weave.
   - _Military uniforms were once tailored from khaki drill._
   - _The jacket's drill lining resisted years of hard wear._
19. Any of several predatory sea snails of the genus Urosalpinx and related groups, especially the oyster drill (Urosalpinx cinerea), that bore holes in the shells of their prey.
   - Simple: A small sea snail that bores holes in the shells of oysters and other shellfish to eat them.
   - _The drill rasps through a clam's shell with its file-like tongue._
   - _Beds of young oysters are especially vulnerable to drills._
20. An Old World monkey of West Africa, Mandrillus leucophaeus, resembling the mandrill but lacking its colorful face.
   - Simple: A large West African monkey that looks like a mandrill but has a plain, dark face.
   - _The drill is one of Africa's most endangered primates._
   - _Researchers photographed a troop of drills crossing the forest trail._
21. A shallow furrow or channel made in the soil to receive seed when sowing.
   - Simple: A small trench or groove cut in the soil to drop seeds into.
   - _He hoed a straight drill down the length of the vegetable bed._
   - _The seeds sat in their drills, waiting for spring warmth._
22. Seeds sown one after another along a furrow, forming a single row.
   - Simple: A line of seeds planted along a single furrow.
   - _Each drill of carrots was thinned once the seedlings appeared._
   - _The field showed even drills of young wheat._

## Verb

2. To make a hole by removing material with a rotating cutting tool.
   - Simple: To make a hole in something by cutting into it with a spinning tool.
   - _The workers drilled a tunnel through the mountainside._
   - _You need to drill pilot holes before driving the long screws._
4. To practice, especially in a military setting.
   - Simple: To practice doing something again and again, often as a soldier does.
   - _The squad drilled for hours in the pouring rain._
   - _Cadets drill daily to build discipline and coordination._
6. To train others through repeated practice, especially in military skills.
   - Simple: To train people by making them practice something many times.
   - _The instructor drilled the cadets in marching formations._
   - _Veteran officers drill recruits until every move becomes instinct._
7. To repeat an idea frequently so that someone remembers it.
   - Simple: To say something over and over so someone will remember it.
   - _The coach drilled the new strategy into the players all week._
   - _Parents often drill basic manners into their children._
8. To investigate or examine something more closely or at a deeper level.
   - Simple: To look at something more closely to find more detail.
   - _Analysts drilled down into the regional figures to spot the trend._
   - _We need to drill into the details before deciding._
10. To throw, run, hit, or kick something with a lot of power.
   - Simple: To throw, hit, or kick something very hard.
   - _The striker drilled the ball past the diving keeper._
   - _Quarterbacks drill the football into tight windows between defenders._
11. In baseball, to hit a batter with a pitch, especially on purpose.
   - Simple: In baseball, to hit a batter on purpose with a thrown ball.
   - _The pitcher drilled him with a fastball after the home run._
   - _Relievers will sometimes drill a batter to send a message._
12. To have sexual intercourse with someone, penetrating them; a coarse, vulgar term. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A crude, vulgar way to say to have sex with someone.
   - _The character spends the whole novel bragging about every woman he's drilled._
   - _He'd drill anyone who showed him the slightest interest._
13. To shoot a person, especially to kill them by shooting. *(slang)*
   - Simple: To shoot someone, especially to kill them with a gun.
   - _The hitman drilled his target from across the street._
   - _They'll drill you the moment you step outside._
17. To sow seed by dropping it steadily along a furrow or in a row.
   - Simple: To plant seeds in rows by dropping them along a thin trench.
   - _They drilled the oats before the rain came._
   - _Skilled hands can drill carrots thinly enough to need no thinning later._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A tiny stream of water that trickles along.
- (verb) To make liquid flow off in small streams or trickles, or to draw water away slowly.
- (verb) To drag something out or delay it, or to waste time without purpose.
- (verb) To lure or tempt someone onward, often with false hopes, used with on.
- (verb) To make something, such as time, ebb or be frittered away little by little.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–15, 19** — From Middle Dutch drillen, meaning "to bore" or "to move in a circle."
**Meanings 16–17, 21–22** — Perhaps the same as Etymology 3; compare German Rille, which can also mean "small furrow."
**Meaning 20** — Source unknown, but probably of African origin; compare mandrill.
**Meaning 18** — From German Drillich ("denim, canvas, drill").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/drill (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).