DRILLING Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

drilling 1 of 2

verb (1)

Definition of drilling

present participle of drill

as in piercing

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in shooting

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

drilling

2 of 2

verb (2)

present participle of drill

as in planting

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 drilling

Verb

Options considered during the analysis included drilling holes in the existing piles and adding more steel inside, or widening the pile caps so more piles could be added on the outside. — David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Aug. 2026 Still, the Center for Biological Diversity last week filed an emergency petition with the New Mexico Supreme Court, challenging the state’s approval of well drilling to supply millions of gallons of water for Project Jupiter’s construction. — Will Weissert, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026 By the end of last year, 93 projects such as drilling 218 wells, building 144 classrooms and funding 109 women’s clubs were completed as part of the program. — Jennifer Bringle, Footwear News, 24 Aug. 2026 The result was the equivalent of an X-ray of the subsurface extending roughly 300 feet underground, without drilling a single hole. — Nolan Roth, Scientific American, 23 Aug. 2026 Mapping minerals before drilling The Colorado demonstration is also tied to a broader push to use quantum sensing for domestic mineral mapping. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026 Founded by former truck driver Chace Barber, the company is focusing on diesel-electric tech to power real working vehicles like log loaders, crane trucks, and drilling rigs. — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 16 Aug. 2026 As its name suggests, the beetle bores into trees, drilling tunnels to create breeding galleries. — Jack Bantock, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026 Then, in 1987, in the village of Bourakébougou, Mali, people drilling a water well noticed a breeze blowing out of the hole. — IEEE Spectrum, 11 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drilling

Verb

Agents then raided the Wynwood apartment and found 540 kilos (almost 1,200 pounds) of cocaine, $3 million in cash, 14 firearms and more than 100 rounds of armor-piercing bullets, prosecutors say.

— David Goodhue August 26, Miami Herald, 26 Aug. 2026
Claire’s is trying to recapture its glory as the go-to destination for both tween girls and for piercing.

— Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of piercing

Verb

Carly keeps taking her new passion further, apparently spending all her tuition money on shooting a music video and renting a venue for a live performance plus merch and catering.

— Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
That news came the same week that ICE agent Christian Castro, who was charged with shooting a man and lying about it during the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, was released from a Texas jail.

— Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of shooting

Verb

Since New England aster will grow relatively tall, Rekola recommends planting it near the back of a perennial border in full sun.

— Marisa Suzanne Martin, The Spruce, 29 Aug. 2026
Global diesel demand typically crests around October as the beginning of winter heating season and harvests in the Northern Hemisphere meets planting season in the Southern Hemisphere.

— Boston Herald Wire Services, Boston Herald, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of planting

Verb

In the film, ex-girlfriend Jill Jones reportedly accused Prince of repeatedly punching her in 1984.

— Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2026
One recent City Series game at Wrigley also had three arrests and included viral brawl that many Cubs fans blamed on Sox fans, though video showed a guy in a Cubs jersey was punching a guy in a Cubs jersey as well.

— Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of punching

Verb

This isn’t as simple as plugging a player into the lineup in Madden NFL 27.

— Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 25 Aug. 2026
The attack relies on plugging the device, which costs less than $100, into a port hidden by a hatch on the exterior of the plane, which the researchers say is easily within reach of maintenance workers and airline staff.

— Frank Landymore, Futurism, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of plugging

Verb

As seedlings emerge, reduce the frequency of watering and practice deeper irrigation (learn more about seeding your lawn here).

— Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 21 Aug. 2026
The possibility that some countries actually like seeding chaos in neighboring countries cannot be ruled out, as is the case with Rwanda undermining the Democratic Republic of the Congo,but such instances are rare.

— Eghosa E. Osaghae, Foreign Affairs, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of seeding

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drillers

drilling

drillmaster

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“Drilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drilling. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of drilling

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