1
as in pierced
to make a hole or series of holes in
the nerve-jangling sound when a dentist drills a tooth
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in popped
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 drilled
Nick Bowlin, ProPublica, 18 May 2026
Cristopher Sánchez struck out a career-high 13 while picking up the second shutout of his career as the Philadelphia Phillies drilled the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-0 on Saturday.
—CBS News, 16 May 2026
Multiple scans of the Neanderthal tooth, as well as experiments using tools on modern human teeth, suggest that someone had essentially drilled out the cavity.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 13 May 2026
Around the edges of the hole, Zubova and her colleagues noticed scratches, which, in addition to the hole’s unusual size and shape, made the archaeologists wonder if it had been drilled intentionally to relieve the pain of a tooth infection.
—ArsTechnica, 13 May 2026
Dorofeyev would also be forced out of the game for a while and being drilled by a Jackson LaCombe slap shot early in the second period.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Koss, getting just his 14th plate appearance of the season, was drilled in the left shoulder area in the bottom of the ninth by Pittsburgh’s Cam Sanders and removed from the ballgame.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 10 May 2026
Johannes then drilled a transition 3-pointer that got the home crowd fired up, though the Sun still managed to outscore the Liberty 23-21 in the third.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 9 May 2026
Bodie Davis drilled an RBI double to left field in the fourth inning that gave the Indians a 5-1 lead.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 May 2026
Verb
Mitch drilled a hole into his home’s concrete foundation in hopes of diverting the sludge out of the house and into the yard.
—Nick Bowlin, ProPublica, 18 May 2026
Cristopher Sánchez struck out a career-high 13 while picking up the second shutout of his career as the Philadelphia Phillies drilled the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-0 on Saturday.
—CBS News, 16 May 2026
Multiple scans of the Neanderthal tooth, as well as experiments using tools on modern human teeth, suggest that someone had essentially drilled out the cavity.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 13 May 2026
Around the edges of the hole, Zubova and her colleagues noticed scratches, which, in addition to the hole’s unusual size and shape, made the archaeologists wonder if it had been drilled intentionally to relieve the pain of a tooth infection.
—ArsTechnica, 13 May 2026
Dorofeyev would also be forced out of the game for a while and being drilled by a Jackson LaCombe slap shot early in the second period.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Koss, getting just his 14th plate appearance of the season, was drilled in the left shoulder area in the bottom of the ninth by Pittsburgh’s Cam Sanders and removed from the ballgame.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 10 May 2026
Johannes then drilled a transition 3-pointer that got the home crowd fired up, though the Sun still managed to outscore the Liberty 23-21 in the third.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 9 May 2026
Bodie Davis drilled an RBI double to left field in the fourth inning that gave the Indians a 5-1 lead.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drilled
Verb
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In a hall occasionally pierced by air-raid sirens warning of Russian strikes, the event has united Ukraine’s most prominent galleries, artists, collectors, and cultural institutions.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 May 2026
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Steve died in September 2006 after a stingray's tail pierced his chest and caused a fatal injury to his heart while filming a documentary on the Great Barrier Reef, when Robert was 2 years old.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
Verb
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In October 1969, a message popped up on a computer screen at Stanford University in Northern California.—
Laura Isensee,
Scientific American,
18 May 2026
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That’s when the light bulb popped to combine the nutrient-dense lupini beans into a high-quality durum wheat pasta.—
Andrew Watman,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, a grove of redwood trees (planted by the property’s former owner, Martha Stewart) gives the grounds a sense of grandeur.—
Elise Taylor,
Vogue,
14 May 2026
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Sadly, Maui Gold is now the last pineapple farm standing on the island, down to 750 acres (300 of them planted), with just 20 people working the farm.—
Laura Dannen Redman,
Robb Report,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Two inmates punched and kicked the victim for about 30 seconds in his cell, while a third inmate stood guard.—
Tim Fang,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
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Coventry and Ipswich Town already punched their EPL tickets by finishing first and second in the EFL standings.—
Kurt Badenhausen,
Sportico.com,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Mythos is not publicly available, but comparably cyber-capable Chinese open-source models will be soon, and hackers will be able to find any holes not plugged by then.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
8 May 2026
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One hole up front was eventually plugged by Matt Savoie, a quality young winger acquired from the Buffalo Sabres for center Ryan McLeod.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Gilgeous-Alexander will lead the top-seeded and defending NBA champion Thunder against Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals beginning Monday night in Oklahoma City.—
Adam Zagoria,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
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Mater Dei senior Gianna Kenrick, who is committed to Kentucky, is seeded first in the 11-dive girls meet.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The Angels added two runs in the eighth inning when Josh Lowe poked a double just over the head of Gelof at third base to score Nolan Schanuel and Logan O’Hoppe.—
Doug Padilla,
Oc Register,
20 May 2026
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In the same show, Louis Theroux made a cameo, and Gatwa poked fun at his time as Doctor Who.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
17 May 2026
Verb
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The shooters ultimately found two men — Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad — in the parking lot outside and fatally shot them, Wahl said.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
21 May 2026
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Household items, including an air-conditioner, shot outward, slamming into the building across the narrow street.—
Rania Abouzeid,
New Yorker,
21 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drilled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drilled. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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