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Glite Dictionary
to drill in

to drill in

2 3.9
To make someone remember something by repeating it many times
  • phrasal verb
  • /drɪl ɪn/
translation icon : repetir
  • I am indebted to Joe Nickell for this overview of the evolution of writing, but I am even more indebted to Mrs. Goldfus for having drilled me in the uplifting ways of A. N. Palmer and his character-forming habits.

And it's been formulated and drilled in us so, so much.

Examples

  • Teachers often drill students in times tables to help them memorize math facts.

  • " So he used to drill us in both Russian and English every day."

    Fiction book (2002)

  • To this day, my kids are much faster at calculation than I am because I was never drilled in arithmetic.

    Blog text (7)

  • Her students were not good writers, but they had been drilled in the five-paragraph essay.

    Academic text (2013)

  • Teresa drilled him in grammar, spelling, and math, besides negotiating extensions with his professors.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • College students, at least, have been drilled in relativism too long and too intensively for a single event to fundamentally reshape their habits of thought.

    Academic text (2002)

  • My coach drills the team in the fundamentals of football every practice.

  • As a part of the program, instructors drill participants in emergency procedures for safety.

Synonyms

to practice
vsto drill in
  • US
697 1.0

To do something again and again to become better at it

is about teaching others through repetition rather than self repetition
to drill
vsto drill in
55 2.9

To train by repeating an action many times, often in the army

is about teaching through repeated practice rather than casual repetition
to inculcate
vsto drill in
  • Formal
9 8.1

Teach someone a belief or habit by repeating it often

uses repetition of practice specifically to train or condition behavior
to ram down
vsto drill in
  • Informal
1 7.9

To force ideas or rules on someone by repeating them against their will

teaches by repetition but without coercion or imposed force
to hammer in
vsto drill in
  • Informal
1 4.6

Repeat something many times so a person remembers it

does the same teaching but without the strong forceful tone
to beat in
vsto drill in
  • Informal
1 7.2

To train someone by repeating something until they learn it

is about teaching via repetition but less focused on discipline
to drill (someone)
vsto drill in
3.9

Make someone practice a skill again and again to improve it

focuses on teaching by repeated instruction rather than light practice

How Thorough

to ingrain
31 6.1
to drill in
2 3.9
to instill
  • US
71 4.8
to train
∞ 1.0
to teach
∞ 1.0
to explain
∞ 1.0
to mention
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

drill in infinitive
drilled in past
drilled in past participle
drilling in present participle
drills in third person singular

Morphology

drill + in

The meaning 'to teach or instill through repetitive practice' is directly derivable from 'drill' (to train by repeated exercises) combined with 'in' indicating direction into someone's mind or behaviour. This verb + particle composition is compositional and predictable, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would reasonably infer the meaning.

Etymology

The phrasal verb drill in comes from army training, where soldiers repeat the same steps again and again. The word drill means hard practice and in shows putting a skill into someone, so the phrase means 'to teach by repeated practice'.