- 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.
StoneX analyst Yi Fu Lee told MarketWatch that he believes Palantir’s recent stock rally continues to be driven by postearnings enthusiasm.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
Nearly all the population of more than two million Gazans have been driven from their homes, leaving most living in squalid tent camps or damaged buildings.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
The latest capital injection was driven more by the opportunity to bring Goldman Sachs on as a strategic investor than by an immediate need for cash, Segev said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Their approach targets a major environmental challenge: rising atmospheric CO2 levels driven in large part by fossil fuel use and cement production.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
Every day they were driven into the underground chamber Nhamo had seen, and a huge fan blew their smell through the forest.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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.
