Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - drill

 I. verb  Etymology: Dutch ~en  Date: 1619  transitive verb  1.  a. to fix something in the mind or habit pattern of by repetitive instruction ~ pupils in spelling  b. to impart or communicate by repetition impossible to ~ the simplest idea into some people  c. to train or exercise in military ~  2.  a.  (1) to bore or drive a hole in  (2) to make by piercing action ~ a hole  b. to shoot with or as if with a gun  c.  (1) to propel (as a ball) with force or accuracy ~ed a single to right field  (2) to hit with force ~ed the batter with the first pitch  intransitive verb  1. to make a hole with a ~  2. to engage in an exercise  • ~ability noun  • ~able adjective  • ~er noun  II. noun  Date: 1611  1. an instrument with an edged or pointed end for making holes in hard substances by revolving or by a succession of blows; also a machine for operating such an instrument  2. the act or exercise of training soldiers in marching and in executing prescribed movements with a weapon  3.  a. a physical or mental exercise aimed at perfecting facility and skill especially by regular practice  b. a formal exercise by a team of marchers  c. the approved, correct, or usual procedure for accomplishing something ; routine  4.  a. a marine snail (Urosalpinx cinerea) destructive to oysters by boring through their shells and feeding on the soft parts  b. any of several mollusks related to the ~  5. a ~ing sound  III. noun  Etymology: origin unknown  Date: 1644 a western African baboon (Man~us leucophaeus syn. Papio leucophaeus) having a black face and brown coat and closely related to the typical man~s  IV. noun  Etymology: perhaps from ~ small stream, from obsolete ~ to trickle, drip  Date: 1727  1.  a. a shallow furrow or trench into which seed is sown  b. a row of seed sown in such a furrow  2. a planting implement that makes holes or furrows, drops in the seed and sometimes fertilizer, and covers them with earth  V. transitive verb  Date: circa 1740  1. to sow (seeds) by dropping along a shallow furrow  2.  a. to sow with seed or set with seedlings inserted in ~s  b. to distribute seed or fertilizer in by means of a ~  VI. noun  Etymology: short for ~ing  Date: 1743 a durable cotton twilled fabric