1
as in piercing
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 shooting
to strike with a missile from a gun
drilled the target from 100 yards away
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as in planting
to put or set into the ground to grow
he drills soybeans in the same rows with corn
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Recent Examples of drilling
Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
The demo, held at a granite quarry in Marble Falls, Texas, showed the company’s ability to vaporize rock using high-frequency electromagnetic waves, drilling 387 feet (118 meters) into solid granite without any physical contact.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2025
While technology continues to improve well productivity, operators are increasingly drilling outside the core, where wells tend to produce less oil and deplete faster.
—Robert Rapier, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
The company has yet to disclose financial details of the projects, and so far has requested drilling on small footprints totaling 280 acres.
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 9 Sep. 2025
While Tranter tinkers and Zuzana monitors the wall of local surveillance footage, Karalis and his team get to work drilling through the wall of the vault.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Renewed federal support for drilling in the US, combined with languid global oil demand and increasing drilling by OPEC countries, has pushed oil prices to their lowest level since the pandemic.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2025
And there are economic reasons to release methane from oil operations—to make more money drilling for more oil rather than to still make money, but less, capturing and using the gas found alongside the oil.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
Drills are best for drilling holes and driving small screws, but an impact driver is a must for driving longer screws and bolts.
—Christopher Murray
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Verb
Trump has long berated Britain over its plans to stop drilling new domestic oil and gas, which could help power future AI data centers.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
The demo, held at a granite quarry in Marble Falls, Texas, showed the company’s ability to vaporize rock using high-frequency electromagnetic waves, drilling 387 feet (118 meters) into solid granite without any physical contact.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2025
While technology continues to improve well productivity, operators are increasingly drilling outside the core, where wells tend to produce less oil and deplete faster.
—Robert Rapier, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
The company has yet to disclose financial details of the projects, and so far has requested drilling on small footprints totaling 280 acres.
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 9 Sep. 2025
While Tranter tinkers and Zuzana monitors the wall of local surveillance footage, Karalis and his team get to work drilling through the wall of the vault.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Renewed federal support for drilling in the US, combined with languid global oil demand and increasing drilling by OPEC countries, has pushed oil prices to their lowest level since the pandemic.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2025
And there are economic reasons to release methane from oil operations—to make more money drilling for more oil rather than to still make money, but less, capturing and using the gas found alongside the oil.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
Drills are best for drilling holes and driving small screws, but an impact driver is a must for driving longer screws and bolts.
—Christopher Murray
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drilling. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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