Library / English Dictionary

DRILLING

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of drilling a hole in the earth in the hope of producing petroleum

Synonyms:

boring; drilling; oil production

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("drilling" is a kind of...):

production ((economics) manufacturing or mining or growing something (usually in large quantities) for sale)

Derivation:

drill (make a hole, especially with a pointed power or hand tool)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The act of drilling

Synonyms:

boring; drilling

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("drilling" is a kind of...):

creating by removal (the act of creating by removing something)

Derivation:

drill (make a hole, especially with a pointed power or hand tool)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

-ing form of the verb drill

Credits

 Context examples: 

By drilling 2.5 kilometers into the seafloor and plucking microbes from boreholes 5 deep across hundreds of sites around the world, an international team of researchers has pieced together a model of the subterranean ecosystem hidden beneath the Earth.

(Researchers Create New Model of Ecosystem Hidden Beneath Earth, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The rock sequences recovered by this scientific drilling expedition record an unprecedented level of detail about one of the most catastrophic events in Earth's history, said Candace Major, a section head in NSF's Division of Ocean Sciences.

(Rocks at asteroid impact site record first day of dinosaur extinction, National Science Foundation)