electric drill
- noun
- /ɪˈlɛktrɪk drɪl/
- To assemble the furniture, you will need an electric drill for making holes.
- a portable electric drill
- use an electric drill
I mean, machines used to be created to aid us like an electric drill or a forklift, Whereas now we've got these robots.
- I mean, machines used to be created to aid us like an electric drill or a forklift, Whereas now we've got these robots.
Examples
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The latest electric drill might have all the bells and whistles, but the good old hand crank gets the job done well, especially when the power's out.
Blog text (20) -
For example, students analyzed drilling processes by measuring the performance time and calculating the labor costs associated with three different drilling tools, including a human-powered hand drill, a portable electric drill, and a drill press.
Academic text (2007) -
I got an electric drill at home.
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Find me an electric drill.
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But I want you to look at this electric drill.
Fiction book (1996) -
Without warning, there is the sound of an electric drill.
Fiction book (1994) -
Get the electric drill; it's already charged!
Blog text (4) -
The man said the trailer door was pried open and two electric drills and other tools, valued at a total of $240, were missing.
Blog text (14) -
You can do this by hand, but I would strongly recommend that you whip out an electric drill if you're not looking to beef up those forearms.
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Although it was not yet high season, most of Karim's weavers were hard at work, and his father was busy winding silk thread onto bobbins using a converted electric drill.
Academic text (2004)
Synonyms
A tool that makes holes by turning a sharp bit
A tool that uses electricity or a battery to make holes in hard things like wood and metal
A small tool you hold to make holes in wood or metal
How Powerful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a hand-held power tool used for drilling holes' is directly and compositionally derived from 'electric' (powered by electricity) + 'drill' (a tool for making holes). This noun–noun compound follows regular English compounding patterns and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The name electric drill comes from the words electric and drill, meaning a drill powered by electricity. Picture a small hand tool with a spinning bit running on a cord or battery. That clear picture is why the term means 'a power tool for making holes'.