drill down

verb

drilled down; drilling down; drills down

transitive + intransitive

: to thoroughly consider or analyze : examine
If you drill down into his platform, it's mostly the same stuff Democrats support, but more of it …Jonathan Chait
Although drilling down into all of the complications of the 2007 to 2009 economic and financial crisis is a task requiring more verbosity than a column permits, a quick rundown for context is worthwhile.M. Ray Perryman
But we don't have much data that drills down on the voting preferences of people in specific jobs, to distinguish between, say, dishwashers and factory workers.Irv Randolph
Matches are based on a lengthy questionnaire that drills down the specifics of your dating preferences and personality.Dorothy Pitti

Examples of drill down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Kornacki has been using all the functionality the Big Board has to offer to drill down into sections of Michigan and North Carolina where Harris seems to have a big advantage over Trump. Jen Chaney, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2024 Following, a drill down on four shoots which show how the imperious necessity to shoot in a country most often lies elsewhere. John Hopewell, Variety, 4 Nov. 2024 Executives of the three biggest PBMs will be in the hot seat tomorrow when the House Oversight Committee drills down on whether the companies are contributing to high drug costs, Peter reports. Peter Sullivan, Axios, 22 July 2024 By drilling down into the details to uncover which one best fits your unique needs. Andreina Rodriguez, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for drill down 

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of drill down was in 1996

Dictionary Entries Near drill down

Cite this Entry

“Drill down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drill%20down. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on drill down

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!