- past tense form of drive.
drove
1 Americanverb
noun
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a number of oxen, sheep, or swine driven in a group; herd; flock.
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Usually droves a large crowd of human beings, especially in motion.
They came to Yankee Stadium in droves.
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Also called drove chisel. Masonry. a chisel, from 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) broad at the edge, for dressing stones to an approximately true surface.
verb (used with or without object)
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to drive or deal in (cattle) as a drover; herd.
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Masonry. to work or smooth (stone) as with a drove.
noun
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a herd of livestock being driven together
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(often plural) a moving crowd of people
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a narrow irrigation channel
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Also called: drove chisel. a chisel with a broad edge used for dressing stone
verb
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(tr) to drive (a group of livestock), usually for a considerable distance
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(intr) to be employed as a drover
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to work (a stone surface) with a drove
verb
Synonym Usage
See flock 1.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of drove
First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English drāf “that which is driven,” i.e., “herd, flock”; akin to drive
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.
Steinberg’s other hits include the Pretenders’ “I’ll Stand by You,” the Divinyls’ “I Touch Myself” and “I Drove All Night,” which was recorded by both Lauper and Roy Orbison.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026
Police have closed the road between Preston Drove and Knoyle Road.
From BBC • Dec. 23, 2023
Levon Helm's vocals are at their most plaintive and resonant on "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," a now controversial song that aches with sadness and loss.
From Salon • Aug. 12, 2023
Thursday’s Game: Drove two balls to deep left field, one for a single and one for an out on the warning track.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 22, 2022
Drove the main highway in, stopped at a filling station and checked a phone book, and by 10:00 a.m. we were on the Reverend Young’s front porch.
From "Missing May" by Cynthia Rylant
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.
