drillhole

A geologist examines a deep drillhole in a rocky outcrop.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A hole made by drilling: "drillhole" refers to a cylindrical cavity created by the action of a drill, typically in materials such as rock, earth, metal, or wood. It is often used in contexts like mining, construction, or geological exploration to extract samples, install supports, or access underground resources.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The geologists examined the core samples from the drillhole to determine the mineral composition. (A hole drilled into the ground for sampling.)
  • Workers filled the drillhole with concrete to stabilize the foundation. (A hole made by a drill in construction.)

Advanced Usage

• "to drill a drillhole": a tautological but common phrasing meaning to create a hole using a drill.

  • The team will drill a drillhole to a depth of 50 meters. (They will create a cylindrical cavity 50 meters deep.)

• "drillhole pattern": the arrangement of multiple drillholes for specific purposes, such as blasting or resource extraction.

  • The engineer designed a drillhole pattern to maximize the efficiency of the mining operation. (A planned layout of holes for optimal results.)

Variants and Related Words

• Drill (n/v): the tool used to create a drillhole, or the action of creating one.

  • He used a power drill to make a small hole in the wall. (The tool or action.)

• Hole (n): a general term for an opening or cavity; a drillhole is a specific type of hole.

  • The drillhole is a narrow, deep hole compared to a natural cave. (A specific kind of opening.)

Synonyms

• Borehole: a hole drilled into the earth, often for extracting water, oil, or gas.

  • The borehole was drilled to a depth of 200 meters for water. (A near-synonym, especially in geological contexts.)

• Wellbore: a hole drilled for the extraction of oil or gas.

  • The wellbore was cased to prevent collapse. (A specialized term in petroleum engineering.)

Phrasal Verbs

• Drill into: to create a drillhole in a surface by applying pressure and rotation.

  • They drilled into the rock to set the explosives. (To make a drillhole in a material.)

• Drill out: to enlarge or remove material from a drillhole.

  • The technician drilled out the old bolt from the hole. (To clear or widen a drillhole.)

Related Idioms

• "Drill down": to investigate or examine something in detail (from the concept of drilling deeper into a hole).

  • The analyst decided to drill down into the data to find the cause of the error. (To focus on specifics.)

• "Like a drillhole": not a common idiom, but sometimes used metaphorically to describe something narrow, precise, or penetrating.

  • His gaze was like a drillhole, focused and unyielding. (Metaphorical use for intense focus.)