driver

American  

[drahy-ver] / ˈdraɪ vər /

noun

• drivers
  plural

1. a person or thing that drives.

2. a person who drives a vehicle; coachman, chauffeur, etc.

3. a person who drives an animal or animals, as a drover or cowboy.

4. Also called number one wood. Golf. a club with a wooden head whose face has almost no slope, for hitting long, low drives from the tee.

5. Machinery.

   1. a part that transmits force or motion.

   2. the member of a pair of connected pulleys, gears, etc., that is nearer to the power source.

6. Computers. software or hardware that controls the interface between a computer and a peripheral device.

7. Railroads. driving wheel.

8. British. a locomotive engineer.

9. Audio.

   1. the part of a loudspeaker that transforms the electrical signal into sound.

   2. the entire loudspeaker.

10. Nautical.

    1. a jib-headed spanker sail.

    2. a designation given to one of the masts abaft the mizzen on a sailing vessel having more than three masts, either the fifth or sixth from forward.

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driver British  

/ ˈdraɪvə /

noun

1. a person who drives a vehicle

2. in a position of control

3. a person who drives animals

4. a mechanical component that exerts a force on another to produce motion

5. golf a club, a No. 1 wood, with a large head and deep face for tee shots

6. electronics a circuit whose output provides the input of another circuit

7. computing a computer program that controls a device

8. something that creates and fuels activity, or gives force or impetus

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driver Idioms  

1. see backseat driver; in the driver's seat.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nondriver
  noun
• driverless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• drivers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of driver

First recorded in 1350–1400, driver is from the Middle English word drivere. See drive, -er ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

driver drivers

A short time later, officers tracked down the “hit-and-run vehicle” and identified the driver as Rycroft.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

A simpler driver was supply and demand: Corporate debt issuance tied to the AI buildout has begun to cool, leaving fixed-income investors with fewer alternatives.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

Which is why Italy’s decadeslong failure to produce a world champion driver had always felt so confounding.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

Among them was Kamel Ben Mbarek, 42, who said he had worked as a driver for the group's Islamic police in Raqqa, in northern Syria.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

“Hey, you two going to school today?” the bus driver yelled.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Many of them had lived here for generations, working as drivers, cleaners and gardeners in the wealthy houses around them.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

For now, Rasgon said he’s focused on Nvidia and Broadcom, which he views as the main drivers of the chip trade.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

Virginia and other states are deploying GPS-based speed-limiting devices on cars to prevent reckless drivers from exceeding speed limits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

Richard De La Haye has been a taxi driver for more than 40 years and believes the drone activity is affecting business for drivers like him.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

But at noon an airplane came in from Nome with word that the weather had cleared ahead, and the marshal sent the drivers off.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

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Related Words

• chauffeur
• jockey
• motorist
• operator
• trainer

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