drill down

verb

drilled down; drilling down; drills down

transitive + intransitive

: to thoroughly consider or analyze : examine
Although drilling down into all of the complications of the 2007 to 2009 economic and financial crisis is a task requiring more verbosity than a column permits, a quick rundown for context is worthwhile.M. Ray Perryman
But we don't have much data that drills down on the voting preferences of people in specific jobs, to distinguish between, say, dishwashers and factory workers.Irv Randolph
Matches are based on a lengthy questionnaire that drills down the specifics of your dating preferences and personality.Dorothy Pitti

Examples of drill down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The combination – the buzzwords drilled down by a drill sergeant – coalesced into a team that was as mentally tough as it was talented. Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 15 June 2026 Genome sequencing viruses in samples can drill down even further. Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 10 June 2026 The lawsuit was settled in Moody’s favor in March, but Walberg drilled down on the district’s religious freedom policies. Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2026 The Transformers Foundation warned that if brands aren’t willing to drill down to this level of traceability and verification, the industry could face everything from legal liability to loss of market access. Jennifer Bringle, Footwear News, 26 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for drill down

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of drill down was in 1996

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Cite this Entry

“Drill down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drill%20down. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.

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