1
as in piercing
to make a hole or series of holes in
the nerve-jangling sound when a dentist drills a tooth
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shooting
to strike with a missile from a gun
drilled the target from 100 yards away
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as in planting
to put or set into the ground to grow
he drills soybeans in the same rows with corn
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Recent Examples of drilling
Tribune Content Agency, Baltimore Sun, 27 Apr. 2026
Since January 2025, engineers at L3Harris Technologies have been drilling, wiring, and reinforcing.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 24 Apr. 2026
The company expects to be drilling holes for 10,000 houses annually by the end of the year.
—Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
This is fairly easy to do for wooden planters, but ceramic planters require gentle care to prevent breaking or cracking when drilling.
—Asia London Palomba, The Spruce, 20 Apr. 2026
Philadelphia showed signs early in the second half, but Brown wrestled back momentum by stealing a Drummond outlet pass and drilling a 3-pointer.
—Zack Cox, Hartford Courant, 19 Apr. 2026
Philadelphia showed signs of a rally early in the second half, but Brown wrestled back momentum by stealing a Drummond outlet pass and drilling a 3-pointer.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 19 Apr. 2026
Oil and gas prices are set on international markets; and given the North Sea’s relatively small reserves, drilling there would not impact global prices.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 19 Apr. 2026
Opponents of drilling there say that energy production could cause harm to the animals and land.
—Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
Open the new unit and mount it on the wall by drilling holes for the screws and anchors included in the package.
—Tribune Content Agency, Baltimore Sun, 27 Apr. 2026
Since January 2025, engineers at L3Harris Technologies have been drilling, wiring, and reinforcing.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 24 Apr. 2026
The company expects to be drilling holes for 10,000 houses annually by the end of the year.
—Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2026
This is fairly easy to do for wooden planters, but ceramic planters require gentle care to prevent breaking or cracking when drilling.
—Asia London Palomba, The Spruce, 20 Apr. 2026
Philadelphia showed signs early in the second half, but Brown wrestled back momentum by stealing a Drummond outlet pass and drilling a 3-pointer.
—Zack Cox, Hartford Courant, 19 Apr. 2026
Philadelphia showed signs of a rally early in the second half, but Brown wrestled back momentum by stealing a Drummond outlet pass and drilling a 3-pointer.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 19 Apr. 2026
Oil and gas prices are set on international markets; and given the North Sea’s relatively small reserves, drilling there would not impact global prices.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 19 Apr. 2026
Opponents of drilling there say that energy production could cause harm to the animals and land.
—Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drilling. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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