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drill

UK/dɹɪl/ US/dɹɪɫ/ common slang
verb (5) noun (4)

verb

1.

make a hole with a pointed power or hand tool

  • “don”
  • “s a gas pipe”
  • “drill a hole into the wall”
  • “drill for oil”
Synonyms
2.

train in the military, e.g., in the use of weapons

3.

learn by repetition

  • “We drilled French verbs every day”
  • “Pianists practice scales”
Synonyms
4.
5.

undergo military training or do military exercises

noun

1.

a tool with a sharp point and cutting edges for making holes in hard materials (usually rotating rapidly or by repeated blows)

2.
3.

systematic training by multiple repetitions

  • “practice makes perfect”
Synonyms
4.

(military) the training of soldiers to march (as in ceremonial parades) or to perform the manual of arms

Origin

Uncertain. Compare the same sense of trill, and German trillen, drillen. Attestation predates Etymology 1.

Phrases

  • active shooter drill
  • air drill
  • bench drill
  • Bioko drill
  • Birkenhead drill
  • bow drill
  • breast drill
  • Brooklyn drill
  • drill and practice
  • drill barrow
  • drill down
  • drill harrow

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.