drove

¹ American  

[drohv] / droʊv /

verb

1. simple past tense of drive.

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drove ² American  

[drohv] / droʊv /

noun

1. a number of oxen, sheep, or swine driven in a group; herd; flock.

2. Usually droves a large crowd of human beings, especially in motion.

   They came to Yankee Stadium in droves.

3. 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.

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verb (used with or without object)

droved, droving

1. to drive or deal in (cattle) as a drover; herd.

2. Masonry. to work or smooth (stone) as with a drove.

drove ¹ British  

/ drəʊv /

noun

1. a herd of livestock being driven together

2. (often plural) a moving crowd of people

3. a narrow irrigation channel

4. Also called: drove chisel.  a chisel with a broad edge used for dressing stone

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verb

1. 1. (tr) to drive (a group of livestock), usually for a considerable distance

   2. (intr) to be employed as a drover

2. to work (a stone surface) with a drove

drove ² British  

/ drəʊv /

verb

1. the past tense of drive

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Related Words

See flock ¹.

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

Over the next 175 years, the elevator drove the rise of the skyscraper, concentrating jobs and capital in dense urban cores, and reshaping how millions of people lived and worked.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

Small businesses drove all of the job gains in March.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

“It’s hell,” said a taxi driver named Pedro as he drove past heaps of garbage rotting in the streets because there is not enough gas for trash trucks.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2026

It wasn’t immediately clear what drove the rotation on a day when traders seemed mostly concerned with how long the Iran war would continue.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

So terrified of the master, so imprisoned by the poverty that drove us here that we never even try.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo