DRILLS Synonyms: 121 Similar and Opposite Words

drills 1 of 3

noun

plural of drill

as in routines

an established and often automatic or monotonous series of actions followed when engaging in some activity shuttling the kids between extracurricular activities is all part of the suburban drill

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as in exercises

something done over and over in order to develop skill doing vocabulary drills all afternoon in preparation for the test

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drills

2 of 3

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of drill

as in punches

to make a hole or series of holes in the nerve-jangling sound when a dentist drills a tooth

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in shoots

to strike with a missile from a gun drilled the target from 100 yards away

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drills

3 of 3

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of drill

as in plants

to put or set into the ground to grow he drills soybeans in the same rows with corn

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of drills

Noun

The drills include amphibious landing, air and missile defense and mine sweeping, as well as intelligence gathering, logistics and resupply and casualty evacuation on several remote islands, including Tanegashima. — Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026 Rice did not practice, but he was spotted in gym clothes running and watching his fellow receivers during individual drills. — Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 19 Oct. 2026 Schools already rehearse fire drills and lockdown drills for dangers that are statistically rare. — Meng Yang, Time, 18 Oct. 2026 Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Steven Cook said the district has invested heavily in school safety, including secure entries, door locks, fencing and security cameras and lockdown drills. — Irene Byon, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026 This includes small angled drills that will fit in spaces no ordinary drill can reach as well as massively powerful SDS rotary hammers and demolition drills. — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026 Love posed online as a player for the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, posting videos of himself running drills with a 49ers helmet, driving in expensive sports cars, and living a lavish lifestyle on social media. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2026 Many players who were banged up in Sunday’s game were limited or simply worked out on the side of drills. — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2026 Georgia is particularly thin at the tailback position, down three scholarship players since the end of spring drills. — Mike Griffith, AJC.com, 12 Oct. 2026

Verb

Ramiro Benavides, director of a middle school mariachi in the district, drills his students not only on how to play their instruments and sing, but also on how to bring a theatrical and dramatic flair to their performances. — Jessica Hill, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026 Dewan is also filming The Rookie, so things are getting challenging as Val drills her on the technique — even on set between takes. — Katie Campione, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026 Fusion hardware drills deeper At the heart of the system is a gyrotron, a specialized vacuum electronic device capable of producing high-power millimeter waves. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2026 As his colleagues look on, Brunson, in his desk chair, drills the shot across the room. — William Vaillancourt, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2026 Penix tried a similar process in Week 1, going through agility and movement drills to see how his knee reacted. — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 23 Sep. 2026 Fervo drills a pair of wells more than 2 miles deep, including a lateral well that can extend for more than a mile horizontally. — Pippa Stevens, CNBC, 5 Sep. 2026 Berrios is sidelined right now by a soft tissue injury but was running pretty well on the side of team drills Monday. — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 24 Aug. 2026 Other notes from Panthers-Jaguars practice First-round pick rookie offensive tackle Monroe Freeling held his own in one-on-one drills as well as team drills in practice on Wednesday. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 20 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drills

Noun

Banana Ball combines baseball with dance routines, trick plays and fan interaction.

— Adam Thompson, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Aaron Button is a programmable shortcut system made up of three buttons built into Pitaka’s Edge smartphone case that can be used to trigger smart home routines, activate AI tools, control connected devices, and more.

— TIME Staff, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of routines

Verb

The episode ends with Lee running for his life while McCann shoots into the darkness of the treeline.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
Body-camera video obtained by CBS News Atlanta shows HeeHaw the donkey galloping toward officers before a Cedartown police officer shoots him during a search for a missing girl.

— CBS News Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of shoots

Verb

Once Mooney plants the seed of his joke about how unhappy white Americans seemed after slavery the later images of Confederate memorial groups and white crowds at lynchings take on a surreal resonance.

— Beandrea July, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026
Mungiu craftily plants the seed of this crisis in his opening shot, set in the aftermath of a stinging act of parental discipline.

— Justin Chang, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of plants

Noun

Tableside dishes are a highlight, including a seasonal classic Greek salad and mouthwatering whole branzino baked in a coffee-grinds and sea-salt crust, then expertly deboned and served to perfection.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 June 2026
In a measuring cup or small bowl, stir together the yogurt, mayonnaise, chives, dill and garlic powder; season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper.

— Emily Weinstein, Twin Cities, 4 June 2026

Definition of grinds

Noun

The approach applies manufacturing practices to research and development, allowing engineers and machinists to modify components and processes quickly as designs evolve.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026
Tully Tube has already been adopted by 37 health systems, pharmacies, and veterinary practices, including Penn Medicine, Michigan’s Karmanos Cancer Institute, and Georgia’s Wellstar Health System.

— Lauryn Higgins, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of practices

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drillmasters

drills

drink

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Style

“Drills.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drills. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of drills

noun

verb (1)

verb (2)

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