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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Relevance

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

That means, at least for now, no robotic arms, drills, or payloads to search for evidence of past or present life. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 1 Sep. 2026 A day after agreeing to terms and going through individual defensive line drills during practice, Donald was not on the field Monday. — Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026 Videos shared by the Nepali army show rescue personnel using drills and excavator machines to try and rescue those who were trapped. — Mamita Bhandari, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026 Ahead of his return, Soto went through multiple workouts that included live batting practice, running the bases and fielding drills. — Will Sammon, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026 There are different periods — red-zone, move-the-ball, two-minute drills, scout-team looks — and scenarios. — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 30 Aug. 2026 Delane couldn’t participate in full-contact drills for the first few weeks and still isn’t fully 100 percent. — Sam McDowell 29, Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2026 In the Soviet Union, basic military training was compulsory in schools including gas mask drills, march practice, and rifle assembly. — Bloomberg, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026 Bell, who dropped three passes in his first week of limited practice work, began Tuesday’s session with a sideline catch during 1-on-1 drills. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026

Verb

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 The plan was to use the Ulchi Freedom Shield drills to assess systems so Seoul could assume wartime operational control, Yu Ji-hoon, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, wrote in The Diplomat. — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026 Taiwan has stepped up the intensity of the Han Kuang drills, incorporating reservists and more civilians into the exercises with a focus on real-world scenarios. — ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026 With Bosa yet to practice in team drills all camp and sidelined the past week with knee tendinitis amid his ACL comeback, the 49ers need to accelerate Height’s participation. — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2026 The Jets and Buccaneers were in the middle of special teams drills late in practice when Stiggers came to the sideline and briefly lost consciousness. — Cbs New York Team, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026 Cam Lewis, after exiting practice Saturday with an undisclosed injury, remained out of team drills Tuesday. — Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026 On the plus side of injury news, Dolphins defensive end Josh Uche participated in Wednesday’s session after he was pulled out of team drills Monday and began running off to the side of practice. — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 12 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drills

Noun

Almost constant air raid alerts in the Kyiv region in recent days have severely disrupted daily routines.

— ABC News, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026
Did the set include useful products that actually upgraded our skin care or makeup routines?

— Alanna Martine Kilkeary, Glamour, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of routines

Noun

One of Presner’s class exercises has students use language models to build historical narratives, then manipulate them.

— Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Washington provides New Delhi with access to intelligence, advanced military technology, joint exercises, and a wider network of security partnerships.

— C. Raja Mohan, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of exercises

Verb

That Febreze bottle is empty and the scented candle burned out — the current Giants’ stink punches you right in the nose, mouth and eyes.

— Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 17 Aug. 2026
After a 20-yard throw and catch, Andrew Chung to Yuto Kawamura-Johnson, Warriors RB Jayden Ammons punches it in for a 1-yard TD.

— Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of punches

Verb

Later, the dual protagonist perspectives come into play during a police chase when Lucia takes the wheel while Jason shoots out the window.

— Angela Yang, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026
Even during the rut, Infalt shoots most of his mature bucks in the thick stuff near where deer sleep.

— Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of shoots

Verb

Standing at two hours and 30 minutes, along with a 15-minute intermission, the narrative plants you in the middle of a world of ironies.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 28 Aug. 2026
At a five-acre research plot in Clarendon, Texas, the company has been studying roughly 500 cotton varieties, collecting field imagery and genomic information to determine which plants merit further breeding.

— Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 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

Summary Many companies face talent shortages, yet their own hiring practices often limit the available pool.

— Sheila Callaham, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
The Star-Telegram was present for all 15 training camp practices and three preseason games to take in every position battle and roster nuance.

— Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of practices

Verb

Upgrade a Laundry Room Vent holes in a laundry room might call to mind a traditional airing cupboard, but perhaps counterintuitively, that term actually refers to a heated cupboard for keeping towels dry rather than one in which air freely circulates.

— Monika Biegler Eyers, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 June 2026
Caulk holes around plumbing and sewer lines where roaches are likely to enter.

— Arricca Elin SanSone, Southern Living, 4 June 2026

Definition of holes

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drillmasters

drills

drink

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“Drills.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drills. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of drills

noun

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verb (2)

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