1
as in routine
an established and often automatic or monotonous series of actions followed when engaging in some activity
shuttling the kids between extracurricular activities is all part of the suburban drill
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in to pierce
to make a hole or series of holes in
the nerve-jangling sound when a dentist drills a tooth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to shoot
to strike with a missile from a gun
drilled the target from 100 yards away
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of drill
Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026
Where Mayer and Durbin are stationed during spring training drills will provide an early indicator of their potential landing spots.
—Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Feb. 2026
The team will drill through the ice and deploy instruments nearly 1,000 meters below the surface to measure how warm ocean water interacts with the glacier base.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for drill
Noun
After completing fielding drills with Washington and Jolbert Cabrera, the fundamentals coach for Triple-A Sacramento, Eldridge listened intently to Washington’s defensive guidance for several minutes.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2026
Where Mayer and Durbin are stationed during spring training drills will provide an early indicator of their potential landing spots.
—Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Verb
Miles came out aggressive, scoring 11 of TCU’s 19 points in the first quarter, including drilling a 3-pointer.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Feb. 2026
The team will drill through the ice and deploy instruments nearly 1,000 meters below the surface to measure how warm ocean water interacts with the glacier base.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for drill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drill
Noun
-
Adding a creatine monohydrate supplement to your routine is the most effective way to increase body and muscle stores of creatine to reap creatine’s health benefits.—
Amy Brownstein,
Verywell Health,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Think of it as future-proofing your travel routine—at prices that are too good to ignore.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Try adding in a few other dynamic warm-up exercises like high knees, butt kicks, and lunges for a well-rounded pre-run routine, per USA Triathlon.—
Sarah Klein,
Outside,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Physical exercise plays an important role.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Don’t put corn husks, coffee grinds, onion peels, peach pits, eggshells, bones, vegetable peels, meat scraps, grease and large amounts of pasta down the drain.—
Jessica Elliott,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Hustle culture has lost its footing, and younger generations are rejecting the grind without knowing what replaces it.—
Kelly Ehlers,
Rolling Stone,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Interestingly, the characters on the coin are Chinese, even though it was produced in Japan during the mid-19th century — a common practice at the time.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
-
On this day, as the NHL chartered most of its Olympians to Milan and teams stepped into a rink draped in Olympic logos for practice, the dream became real.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Stafford, who turns 38 on Saturday, worked through a back issue that sidelined him for all of training camp and passed for a league-best 46 touchdowns and 4,707 yards.—
Gary Klein,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The new study notes that Kanzi’s lexigram training could have primed him to better recognize symbols and that his language training might have changed his brain.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drill. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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