drill down
verb
drilled down; drilling down; drills down
: 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
M. Ray PerrymanBut 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
Irv RandolphMatches are based on a lengthy questionnaire that drills down the specifics of your dating preferences and personality.—Dorothy Pitti
Dorothy PittiExamples of drill down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But lawmakers generally did not drill down into the changes at CBP and USCIS, despite those agencies' growing roles in immigration enforcement over the last year.
—Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 10 Feb. 2026
In demonstrating the technology to CalMatters, using an imaginary 56-year-old female patient who complained of trouble breathing, Scope asked several follow-up questions to drill down on her symptoms.
—Cal Matters, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026
Let facts inform your decision; ignore claims or twisted logic and drill down to the real real.
—Magi Helena, Dallas Morning News, 19 Jan. 2026
Let facts inform your decision, ignore claims or twisted logic and drill down to the real real.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for drill down
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 10 Feb. 2026
In demonstrating the technology to CalMatters, using an imaginary 56-year-old female patient who complained of trouble breathing, Scope asked several follow-up questions to drill down on her symptoms.
—Cal Matters, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026
Let facts inform your decision; ignore claims or twisted logic and drill down to the real real.
—Magi Helena, Dallas Morning News, 19 Jan. 2026
Let facts inform your decision, ignore claims or twisted logic and drill down to the real real.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for drill down
Cite this Entry
“Drill down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drill%20down. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
