1
as in pierced
to make a hole or series of holes in
the nerve-jangling sound when a dentist drills a tooth
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2
as in popped
to strike with a missile from a gun
drilled the target from 100 yards away
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Recent Examples of drilled
Greg Dudek, Hartford Courant, 9 Feb. 2026
Instead, Jason Myers drilled his third field goal of the game, giving the Seahawks a 9-0 lead with 11 seconds to go.
—February 9, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
Kennard drilled a three pointer off a pass from Reaves to give the Lakers a 92-88 lead in the fourth quarter.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026
After the Anteaters shot 2 for 14 from long range in the first half, Hanson made a 3-pointer on UCI’s first attempt from deep in the second half, and Nahum drilled her first 3-point try after halftime to stretch the lead to 40-17.
—Dan Arritt, Oc Register, 8 Feb. 2026
Four days later, Bradley Peterson drilled a game-winning three-pointer in the closing seconds to lead them to their most thrilling victory of the season, a 42-39 win over Plymouth South.
—Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
The menu at Swensons is drilled onto the exterior of the building, 10 minutes south of Walsh Jesuit.
—Chad Graff, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Saunders, who drilled six 3s and added 10 rebounds, nearly had a performance for the ages, but KU did enough to earn the win.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 1 Feb. 2026
That was the night that ended in a dogpile around Murray, who drilled a game-winning buzzer beater over Anthony Davis.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2026
Verb
He was drilled by Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon on his second interception as Witherspoon hit Maye’s arm and the ball floated out of his hands and right to Nwosu, who had nothing but open field in front of him.
—Greg Dudek, Hartford Courant, 9 Feb. 2026
Instead, Jason Myers drilled his third field goal of the game, giving the Seahawks a 9-0 lead with 11 seconds to go.
—February 9, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
Kennard drilled a three pointer off a pass from Reaves to give the Lakers a 92-88 lead in the fourth quarter.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026
After the Anteaters shot 2 for 14 from long range in the first half, Hanson made a 3-pointer on UCI’s first attempt from deep in the second half, and Nahum drilled her first 3-point try after halftime to stretch the lead to 40-17.
—Dan Arritt, Oc Register, 8 Feb. 2026
Four days later, Bradley Peterson drilled a game-winning three-pointer in the closing seconds to lead them to their most thrilling victory of the season, a 42-39 win over Plymouth South.
—Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
The menu at Swensons is drilled onto the exterior of the building, 10 minutes south of Walsh Jesuit.
—Chad Graff, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Saunders, who drilled six 3s and added 10 rebounds, nearly had a performance for the ages, but KU did enough to earn the win.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 1 Feb. 2026
That was the night that ended in a dogpile around Murray, who drilled a game-winning buzzer beater over Anthony Davis.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drilled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drilled. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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