drilling

drilling — verb

1. to use a tool with a rotating cutting end to create a hole or opening in a hard

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to use a tool with a rotating cutting end to create a hole or opening in a hard surface or material.

Example

Noa drilled a small hole in the wall to hang a picture frame.

drill + hole + in + noun phrase

The dentist carefully drilled into Tunde's back tooth to remove the decay.

intransitive: drill into + noun phrase

Common collocations
  • drill a hole
  • drill into [material]
  • drill through [material]
  • drill bit
  • power drill
  • drill down
Synonyms
  • bore

    used for widening an existing hole rather than creating a new one; often in engineering or oil contexts

  • pierce

    suggests a sharp point going through a surface, not necessarily with a rotating tool; also used for ear-piercing

  • perforate

    more formal and technical; means to make a line or pattern of small holes

Antonyms
  • fill

    to close up a hole or cavity

  • plug

    to stop a hole with a solid object

Grammar Patterns

drill + hole + in/through + noun

drill + noun (the surface)

intransitive: drill + adverb(prepositional phrase)

Usage Note

Object can be the hole itself (drill a hole) or the material being penetrated (drill the wall). Both patterns are equally common.

Common Mistakes

The dentist bored into my tooth.
The dentist drilled into my tooth.
'bore' means to widen an existing hole; 'drill' means to create a new one.

2. to make a person or a group practise a set of movements or a procedure repeatedl

2.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

to make a person or a group practise a set of movements or a procedure repeatedly until the actions become automatic, often in a military or team setting.

Example

The sergeant drilled the new soldiers on the parade ground every morning.

drill + a group + on a location

Quinn's school holds fire drills twice a year to keep everyone safe.

collocation: fire drill

Common collocations
  • fire drill
  • marching drill
  • drill sergeant
  • drill the troops
  • emergency drill
  • drill the team
Synonyms
  • train

    broader meaning covering all types of skill development, not limited to repetition

  • exercise

    focuses on physical activity and fitness rather than precision routines

  • rehearse

    used for performing arts and presentations, not military or emergency contexts

Antonyms
  • improvise

    to act without preparation or set routines

Grammar Patterns

drill + noun (the person/group)

intransitive: drill + for + duration

drill + noun + in + noun (the skill)

drill + noun + on + noun

Usage Note

The transitive form focuses on the trainer drilling a group (drill the troops). The intransitive form focuses on the group itself drilling (the soldiers drill every day).

Common Mistakes

The coach trained the players to score goals.
The coach drilled the players on defensive formations.
'train' is for overall skill development; 'drill' is for specific, repeated practice of a set routine.

3. to make someone learn or remember facts, skills, or rules by stating them or pra

3.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to make someone learn or remember facts, skills, or rules by stating them or practising them over and over until they stick firmly in the person's mind.

Example

The coach drilled the football players in basic passing techniques every afternoon.

drill + someone + in + noun phrase (the skill)

Élise's father drilled the safety rules into her before she started driving.

drill + noun (the content) + into + someone

Common collocations
  • drill facts into
  • drill it into someone
  • drill rules into
  • drill someone on something
Synonyms
  • repetition-teach

    not a standard single word; 'drill' is the specific term for learning-through-repetition

  • hammer home

    informal phrasal verb meaning to emphasise something forcefully through repetition

  • rote-teach

    less common; refers specifically to memorisation by repetition without understanding

Antonyms
  • explain

    to make something clear through reasoning rather than repetition

Grammar Patterns

drill + noun (a skill/fact) + into + someone

drill + someone + on + noun

drill + that-clause into someone

Usage Note

Frequently used with the 'into' pattern (drill something into someone), which implies persistent, even forceful teaching. The dummy object 'it' commonly appears in this structure: drill it into someone that...

Common Mistakes

The teacher taught the rules to the students.
The teacher drilled the rules into the students.
'teach' is neutral instruction; 'drill' emphasises forceful repetition until the information is memorised.

drilling — noun

Word family

  • drill
    verbB1
  • drill
    nounB1
  • drilled
    adjectiveB2
  • driller
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four verbs refer to making holes, but they differ in method and purpose. Drill is the most common everyday word for using a rotating tool to create a hole, whether in wood, metal, teeth, or walls. Bore is more technical and usually means to cut a hole into earth (bore a well) or to widen an existing hole with a rotating tool — you wouldn't normally say a carpenter bores a hole in a shelf; they drill it. Pierce suggests a sharp point going through a thin surface, like a needle piercing skin or a nail piercing a tyre. Perforate is formal and technical, meaning to make a series of small holes for a functional purpose (a perforated line on a receipt or a perforated sheet of stamps). In daily life, drill is the word people reach for most often: 'I need to drill a hole for the curtain rod.'

drill ↗bore ↗pierce ↗perforate

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • drill a hole
  • drill into someone's head
  • fire drill
  • drill bit

Prepositions

Etymology

Middle DutchDutchEnglish

Drilling is the gerund and present participle form of the verb drill, which entered English in the early 1600s from the Middle Dutch word drillen, meaning 'to turn around' or 'to bore'. The sense of repetitive military training developed a century later, following the idea of 'turning' and 'revolving' — the same mechanical motion that bores into a surface came to suggest the circular, repetitive nature of exercises and rote learning.