drove

¹

[drohv]

verb

1. simple past tense of drive.

drove

²

[drohv]

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.

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

/ 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

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

/ drəʊv /

verb

1. the past tense of drive

Word History and Origins

Origin of drove¹

First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English drāf “that which is driven,” i.e., “herd, flock”; akin to drive

Word History and Origins

Origin of drove¹

Old English drāf herd; related to Middle Low German drēfwech cattle pasture; see _drive , _drift

Synonym Study

See flock ¹.

Example Sentences

Investment in software and information-processing equipment drove most of America’s GDP growth in the first half of 2025, according to federal data.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Down by four scores in the fourth quarter, Washington drove to the Seattle 2-yard-line and was looking to make a slight dent in the deficit when disaster struck.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Marketers in the past week have been among the droves of U.S. workers laid off at Amazon.com, Paramount and other companies, which say that AI can handle some of their work.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

When Stevens reopened, the community came back in droves, ushering in a new era of excitement for salsa.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Being considered dumb lodged itself in his psyche while his “instinct for self-survival” taught him to “blank them out and take all the punishment and never respond, which drove them nuts.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times