Meaning

14 senses
  1. (transitive)To create (a hole) by removing material with a drill (tool).

    Drill a small hole to start the screw in the right direction.

    bohren

    сверли́тьsverlítʹ, бури́тьburítʹ

    свердли́тиsverdlýty

    make a hole, especially with a pointed power or hand tool

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

    They drilled daily to learn the routine exactly.

    schleifen

    муштрова́тьmuštrovátʹ, тренирова́тьtrenirovátʹ, обуча́тьobučátʹ

    train in the military, e.g., in the use of weapons

  3. (ergative)To cause to drill (practice); to train, especially in military arts.

    The sergeant was up by 6:00 every morning, drilling his troops.

    обуча́тьobučátʹ

  4. (transitive)To repeat an idea frequently in order to encourage someone to remember it.

    The instructor drilled into us the importance of reading the instructions.

    drillen

    вда́лбливатьvdálblivatʹ, вдолби́тьvdolbítʹ

  5. (figuratively, intransitive)To investigate or examine something in more detail or at a different level

    Drill deeper and you may find the underlying assumptions faulty.

    копа́тьkopátʹ, копну́тьkopnútʹ

  6. (transitive)To throw, run, hit or kick with a lot of power.

    He drilled down the court and made a three-pointer.

    He drilled the ball to his teammate.

  7. To hit someone with a pitch, especially in an intentional context.

  8. (slang, vulgar)To have sexual intercourse with; to penetrate.

  9. (slang)To shoot; to kill by shooting.

  10. (transitive)To sow (seeds) by dribbling them along a furrow or in a row.

  11. (transitive)To cause to flow in drills or rills or by trickling; to drain by trickling.

    waters drilled through a sandy stratum

  12. (dialectal, obsolete, transitive)To protract, lengthen out; fritter away, spend (time) aimlessly.

    Quit purposely drilling out the time hoping that someone else will do your chores.

Examples

123 sentences
  1. You know the drill.

    Ти знаєш, що робити. — deniko

    deDu kennst den Ablauf ja. — Pfirsichbaeumchen

    CC BY 2.0 FR · Tatoeba · Spamster · A2Open on TatoebaReport a problem
  2. I know the drill.

    Я знаю, як це робиться. — deniko

    deIch kenne die Übung schon. — Pfirsichbaeumchen

  3. We had a fire drill yesterday.

    ruВчера у нас были пожарные учения. — fjay69

    deWir hatten gestern eine Brandschutzübung. — Yorwba

  4. They intended to drill for oil.

    deSie beabsichtigten, nach Öl zu bohren. — samueldora

  5. Tom's company is drilling for oil.

    ruКомпания Тома занимается бурением на нефть. — sharptoothed

    deToms Firma bohrt nach Öl. — Pfirsichbaeumchen

Translations

9 languages
Українська
By meaning 1
to make a hole:
Русский
By meaning 4
to make a hole:
to practice:
to repeat in order to make remember:
to investigate closer:
Deutsch
By meaning 3
to make a hole:
to practice:
to repeat in order to make remember:

Origin

From Middle Dutch drillen (“bore, move in a circle”). Perhaps the same as Etymology 3; co

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.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

drills, drilling, drilled, drilled
Base formdrill · to drill
3rd person singulardrills
Present participledrilling
Past simpledrilled
Past participledrilled

regular · Lesson

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theydrill
he, she, itdrills

Past simpleLesson

all personsdrilled

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave drilled
he, she, ithas drilled

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill drill

Phrasal verbs

5 phrasal verbs

Synonyms

110 synonyms
Close in meaning

Word family

13 related words

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
drill — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto