drill

1 noun

1 TOOL (C) a tool or machine used for making holes in something: an electric drill

2 WAY OF LEARNING (U) a way of learning something by repeating it many times: a pronunciation drill

3 fire/emergency drill a practice of the things you should do in a dangerous situation such as a fire

4 MILITARY TRAINING (U) military training in which soldiers practice marching and other actions: rifle drill

5 CLOTH (U) a type of strong cotton cloth

6 the drill BrE old-fashioned the correct way of doing something: What's the drill for getting money after four o'clock?

7 SEEDS

a) (C) a machine for planting seeds in rows

b) a row of seeds planted by machine

2 verb

1 (I, T) to make a hole in something using a drill: You need to drill holes for the fittings. | drill for oil/water/gas etc: The Saudi government has announced plans to drill for water in the desert.

2 (T) to teach someone by making them repeat something many times: She was drilling the class in the forms of the past tense. | well-drilled: The well-drilled cabin crew evacuated the passengers in minutes.

3 (I, T) to practice marching and other military actions, or to train soldiers to do this

4 (T) to plant seeds in rows

drill sth into sb phrasal verb (T) to keep telling someone something until they know it very well: Mother had drilled it into me not to talk to strangers.