From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdrilldrill1 /drɪl/ ●●○ noun 1 
TOOL[countable]TZ a tool or machine used for making holes in something an electric drill a whine like a dentist’s drill → pneumatic drill2 WAY OF LEARNING[countable]SESLEARN a method of teaching students, sports players etc something by making them repeat the same lesson, exercise etc many times a pronunciation drill3 → fire/emergency drill4 MILITARY TRAINING[uncountable]PMA military training in which soldiers practise marching, using weapons etc rifle drill5 → the drill6 CLOTH[uncountable]TIM a type of strong cotton cloth7 SEEDS[countable] a) TACa machine for planting seeds in rows b) TACa row of seeds planted by a machine
TOOL[countable]TZ a tool or machine used for making holes in something an electric drill a whine like a dentist’s drill → pneumatic drill2 WAY OF LEARNING[countable]SESLEARN a method of teaching students, sports players etc something by making them repeat the same lesson, exercise etc many times a pronunciation drill3 → fire/emergency drill4 MILITARY TRAINING[uncountable]PMA military training in which soldiers practise marching, using weapons etc rifle drill5 → the drill6 CLOTH[uncountable]TIM a type of strong cotton cloth7 SEEDS[countable] a) TACa machine for planting seeds in rows b) TACa row of seeds planted by a machineExamples from the Corpus
drill• Loudspeakers soon announced that the warning was just part of a drill.• The basic programs also offer games, dictation exercises and drills.• Essentially the course comprises sequences of language drills.• a marching drill• multiplication drills• Experiment with a variety of drills in natural situations until you find the combination which is the most productive for you.• At 100 decibels, the level produced by a chain saw or pneumatic drill, the allowable exposure is three hours.• During grammar school, I faint every time we have an air raid drill.• a dentist's drill• Separate drills need to be set up for each noun class to learn its associated affixes.• Then we collected our rifles from the armoury for our first lesson in shooting drill.drilldrill2 ●●○ verb 1 [intransitive, transitive]TITPG to make a hole in something using a drill Drill a hole in each corner.drill into/through He accidentally drilled into a water pipe.drill for oil/water/gas etc BP has been licensed to drill for oil in the area.2 [transitive]SESPRACTISE/PRACTICE to teach students, sports players etc by making them repeat the same lesson, exercise etc many timesdrill somebody in something She was drilling the class in the forms of the past tense.drill somebody to do something I acted instinctively because I had been trained and drilled to do just that. The crew were well drilled in handling emergency situations.3 [transitive]PMA to train soldiers to march or perform other military actions The sergeant was drilling the new recruits.4 [transitive]TAC to plant seeds in rows using a machine → drill down → drill something into somebody→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
drill• Tannins, another kind of organic molecule, are used in the oil industry to make muds easier to drill.• They hammered and plowed and drilled.• If we drill a borehole into the aquifer the groundwater will be under sufficient pressure to overflow from the borehole.• A third well has also been drilled and is currently being completed, and Pogo has plans to drill a fourth well.• I heard the dentist start drilling, but I couldn't feel anything.• Oil companies still drill for oil off Santa Barbara.• It sounds like someone's drilling into the wall.• We'll have to drill some holes here to put up the shelves.• In the process, some 2,000 miles of tunnels were drilled through the mountains.drill for oil/water/gas etc• They might drill for oil and come up dry.drill somebody in something• The game is designed to drill children in the letters of the alphabet.Origin drill2 (1500-1600) Dutch drillen 