- past participle of drive.
driven
Americanverb
adjective
-
being under compulsion, as to succeed or excel.
a driven young man who was fiercely competitive.
-
controlled or propelled by something specified (used in combination).
a market-driven approach to retaining talent; data-driven business strategies; a water pump that is solar driven.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of driven
First recorded in 1300–50, for the adjective for an earlier sense
Explanation
If you're driven, you're strongly compelled or motivated to achieve a goal. If you're a driven gymnast, you spend hours in the gym each night perfecting your balance beam routine. If you know someone who is incredibly ambitious and hard working, you can call them driven. It takes a driven student to make it through medical school, and a driven dog musher to complete the Iditarod. In other words, you need drive, or determination, to achieve these things. Driven can also mean "moved and piled into drifts by wind," often in the phrase "driven snow." When combined with another noun, it can mean "propelled or powered," as in "a wind-driven boat."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Roaring ’20s: Driven by easy credit and an industrial build-out of new technologies like the radio and the telephone, this historic bubble peaked on Sept. 3, 1929.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026
Driven to deliver the title for Ukraine, Kostyuk will head into her semi-final on a 17-match winning streak on the clay this season.
From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026
The Roaring ’20s: Driven by easy credit and an industrial build-out of new technologies like the radio and the telephone, this historic bubble peaked on Sept. 3, 1929.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026
Activist hedge fund ADW Capital is offering $18 a share to buy Meineke owner Driven Brands for nearly $3 billion.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
Driven by some impulse that he did not understand, Pippin walked softly to where Gandalf lay.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
