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Webster 1913 Edition

Drill

Drill

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Drilled
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Drilling
.]
[D.
drillen
to bore, drill (soldiers); probably akin to AS.
pyrlian
,
pyrelian
, to pierce. See
Thrill
.]
1.
To pierce or bore with a drill, or a with a drill; to perforate;
as, to
drill
a hole into a rock; to
drill
a piece of metal.
2.
To train in the military art; to exercise diligently, as soldiers, in military evolutions and exercises; hence, to instruct thoroughly in the rudiments of any art or branch of knowledge; to discipline.
He [Frederic the Great]
drilled
his people, as he
drilled
his grenadiers.
Macaulay.

Drill

,
Verb.
I.
To practice an exercise or exercises; to train one’s self.

Drill

,
Noun.
1.
An instrument with an edged or pointed end used for making holes in hard substances; strictly, a tool that cuts with its end, by revolving, as in drilling metals, or by a succession of blows, as in drilling stone; also, a drill press.
2.
(Mil.)
The act or exercise of training soldiers in the military art, as in the manual of arms, in the execution of evolutions, and the like; hence, diligent and strict instruction and exercise in the rudiments and methods of any business; a kind or method of military exercises;
as, infantry
drill
; battalion
drill
; artillery
drill
.
3.
Any exercise, physical or mental, enforced with regularity and by constant repetition;
as, a severe
drill
in Latin grammar
.
4.
(Zool.)
A marine gastropod, of several species, which kills oysters and other bivalves by drilling holes through the shell. The most destructive kind is
Urosalpinx cinerea
.
Bow drill
,
Breast drill
.
See under
Bow
,
Breast
.
–
Cotter drill
, or
Traverse drill
,
a machine tool for drilling slots.
–
Diamond drill
.
See under
Diamond
.
–
Drill jig
.
See under
Jig
.
–
Drill pin
,
the pin in a lock which enters the hollow stem of the key.
–
Drill sergeant
(Mil.)
,
a noncommissioned officer whose office it is to instruct soldiers as to their duties, and to train them to military exercises and evolutions.
–
Vertical drill
,
a drill press.

Drill

,
Verb.
T.
[Cf.
Trill
to trickle,
Trickle
,
Dribble
, and W.
rhillio
to put in a row, drill.]
1.
To cause to flow in drills or rills or by trickling; to drain by trickling;
as, waters
drilled
through a sandy stratum
.
[R.]
Thomson.
2.
To sow, as seeds, by dribbling them along a furrow or in a row, like a trickling rill of water.
3.
To entice; to allure from step; to decoy; – with on.
[Obs.]
See
drilled
him on to five-fifty.
Addison.
4.
To cause to slip or waste away by degrees.
[Obs.]
This accident hath
drilled
away the whole summer.
Swift.

Drill

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To trickle.
[Obs. or R.]
Sandys.
2.
To sow in drills.

Drill

,
Noun.
1.
A small trickling stream; a rill.
[Obs.]
Springs through the pleasant meadows pour their
drills
.
Sandys.
2.
(Agr.)
(a)
An implement for making holes for sowing seed, and sometimes so formed as to contain seeds and drop them into the hole made.
(b)
A light furrow or channel made to put seed into sowing.
(c)
A row of seed sown in a furrow.
☞ Drill is used adjectively, or as the first part of a compound; as, drill barrow or drill-barrow; drill husbandry; drill plow or drill-plow.
Drill barrow
,
a wheeled implement for planting seed in drills.
–
Drill bow
,
a small bow used for the purpose of rapidly turning a drill around which the bowstring takes a turn.
–
Drill harrow
,
a harrow used for stirring the ground between rows, or drills.
–
Drill plow
, or
Drill plough
,
a sort plow for sowing grain in drills.

Drill

,
Noun.
[Cf.
Mandrill
.]
(Zool.)
A large African baboon (
Cynocephalus leucophæus
).

Drill

,
Noun.
[Usually in
pl
.]
(Manuf.)
Same as
Drilling
.
Imperial drill
,
a linen fabric having two threads in the warp and three in the filling.

Webster 1828 Edition

Drill

DRILL

,
Verb.
T.
[G.]
1.
To pierce with a drill; to perforate by turning a sharp pointed instrument of a particular form; to bore and make a hole by turning an instrument. We say, to drill a hole through a piece of metal, or to drill a cannon.
2.
To draw on; to entice; to amuse and put off.
She drilled him on to five and fifty. [Not elegant.]
3.
To draw on from step to step. [Not elegant.]
4.
To draw through; to drain; as, waters drilled through a sandy stratum.
5.
In a military sense, to teach and train raw soldiers to their duty, by frequent exercise; a common and appropriate use of the word.
6.
In husbandry, to sow grain in rows, drills or channels.

DRILL

, v.t.
1.
To sow in drills.
2.
To flow gently.
3.
To muster, for exercise.

DRILL

,
Noun.
1.
A pointed instrument, used for boring holes, particularly in metals and other hard substances.
2.
An ape or baboon.
3.
The act of training soldiers to their duty.
4.
A small stream; now called a rill. [Drill is formed on the root of rill, G., a channel.]
5.
In husbandry, a row of grain, sowed by a drill-plow.

Definition 2024

Drill

Drill

See also: drill

Luxembourgish

Noun

Drill m ‎(uncountable)

  1. drill, exercise

Related terms

drill

drill

See also: Drill

English

Verb

drill ‎(third-person singular simple present drills, present participle drilling, simple past and past participle drilled)

  1. (transitive) To create (a hole) by removing material with a drill (tool).
    Drill a small hole to start the **** in the right direction.
  2. (intransitive) To practice, especially in a military context.
    They drilled daily to learn the routine exactly.
  3. (ergative) To cause to drill (practice); to train in military arts.
    The sergeant was up by 6:00 every morning, drilling his troops.
    • Macaulay
      He [Frederic the Great] drilled his people, as he drilled his grenadiers.
  4. (transitive) To repeat an idea frequently in order to encourage someone to remember it.
    The instructor drilled into us the importance of reading the instructions.
  5. (intransitive) To investigate or examine something in more detail or at a different level
    Drill deeper and you may find the underlying assumptions faulty.
  6. (transitive) To hit or kick with a lot of power.
    • 2006, Joe Coon, The Perfect Game,
      He did get their attention when he drilled the ball dead center into the hole for an opening birdie.
    • 2007, Craig Cowell, Muddy Sunday,
      Without compromising he drilled the ball home, leaving Dynamos' ill-fated keeper diving for fresh air.
    • 2010 December 29, Chris Whyatt, “Chelsea 1 - 0 Bolton”, in BBC:
      Bolton were then just inches from taking the lead, but the dangerous-looking Taylor drilled just wide after picking up a loose ball following Jose Bosingwa's poor attempted clearance.
  7. (baseball) To hit someone with a pitch, especially in an intentional context.
  8. (slang, vulgar) To have sexual intercourse with; to penetrate.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Family Guy - Brian Griffin
      Is this going to take long? I've got a hot date to drill the flautist at the symphony tonight.
  9. (transitive) To cause to flow in drills or rills or by trickling; to drain by trickling.
    waters drilled through a sandy stratum
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Thomson to this entry?)
  10. (transitive) To sow (seeds) by dribbling them along a furrow or in a row.
  11. (transitive, obsolete) To entice or allure; to decoy; with on.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Addison
      She drilled him on to five-and-fifty, and will drop him in his old age […]
  12. (transitive, obsolete) To cause to slip or waste away by degrees.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Jonathan Swift
      This accident hath drilled away the whole summer.
Translations

Noun

drill ‎(plural drills)

a battery-powered electric drill (the tool)
  1. A tool used to remove material so as to create a hole, typically by plunging a rotating cutting bit into a stationary workpiece.
    Wear safety glasses when operating an electric drill.‎
  2. The portion of a drilling tool that drives the bit.
    Use a drill with a wire brush to remove any rust or buildup.‎
  3. An agricultural implement for making holes for sowing seed, and sometimes so formed as to contain seeds and drop them into the hole made.
    • 1993, John Banville, Ghosts
      I found down at the side of the house the remains of what must have once been a kitchen garden. Everything was choked with weeds and scutch grass, but the outlines of bed and drill were still there.
  4. A light furrow or channel made to put seed into, when sowing.
  5. A row of seed sown in a furrow.
  6. An activity done as an exercise or practice (especially a military exercise).
    • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 7, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:
      “[…] if you call my duds a ‘livery’ again there'll be trouble. It's bad enough to go around togged out like a life saver on a drill day, but I can stand that 'cause I'm paid for it. What I won't stand is to have them togs called a livery. […]”
    Regular fire drills can ensure that everyone knows how to exit safely in an emergency.‎
  7. (obsolete) A small trickling stream; a rill.
    • Sandys
      Springs through the pleasant meadows pour their drills.
  8. Any of several molluscs, of the genus Urosalpinx, especially the oyster drill (Urosalpinx cinerea), that drill holes in the shells of other animals.

Wikispecies

Quotations
  • For usage examples of this term, see Citations:drill.
Derived terms
Translations

Related terms

Etymology 2

Mandrillus leucophaeus

Probably of African origin; compare mandrill.

Noun

drill ‎(plural drills)

  1. An Old World monkey of West Africa, Mandrillus leucophaeus, similar in appearance to the mandrill, but lacking the colorful face.
Translations

External links

Etymology 3

From German Drillich ‎(“denim, canvas, drill”).

Noun

drill ‎(plural drills)

  1. A strong, durable cotton fabric with a strong bias (diagonal) in the weave.
Derived terms
Synonyms
Translations

French

Etymology

English drill.

Noun

drill m ‎(plural drills)

  1. drill (tool)

Related terms

German

Verb

drill

  1. Imperative singular of drillen.
  2. (colloquial) First-person singular present of drillen.

Etymology

Borrowing from German Drill.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /dʀil/
    Rhymes: -il

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