drift

American  

[drift] / drɪft /

noun

drifts plural

1. a driving movement or force; impulse; impetus; pressure.

2. Navigation. (of a ship) the component of the movement that is due to the force of wind and currents.

3. Oceanography. a broad, shallow ocean current that advances at the rate of 10 to 15 miles (16 to 24 km) a day.

4. Nautical.

   1. the flow or the speed in knots of an ocean current.

   2. the distance between the end of a rope and the part in use.

   3. the distance between two blocks in a tackle.

   4. the difference in diameter between two parts, one of which fits within the other, as a mast and its mast hoops, or a treenail and its hole.

5. Aeronautics. the deviation of an aircraft from a set course due to cross winds.

6. the course along which something moves; tendency; aim.

   The drift of political events after the war was toward chaos.

7. meaning; intent; purport.

   the drift of a statement.

   Synonyms:

   tenor

8. something driven, as animals, rain, etc.

9. a heap of any matter driven together.

10. a snowdrift.

11. Geology. glacial drift.

12. the state or process of being driven.

13. overbearing power or influence.

14. Military. a tool used in charging an ordnance piece.

15. Electronics.

    1. a gradual change in some operating characteristic of a circuit, tube, or other electronic device, either during a brief period as an effect of warming up or during a long period as an effect of continued use.

    2. the movement of charge carriers in a semiconductor due to the influence of an applied voltage.

16. Linguistics. gradual change in the structure of a language.

17. Machinery.

    1. Also called driftpin.  a round, tapering piece of steel for enlarging holes in metal, or for bringing holes in line to receive rivets or bolts.

    2. a flat, tapered piece of steel used to drive tools with tapered shanks, as drill bits, from their holders.

18. Civil Engineering. a secondary tunnel between two main tunnels or shafts.

19. Mining. an approximately horizontal passageway in underground mining.

20. Physics. the movement of charged particles under the influence of an electric field.

21. Aerospace. the gradual deviation of a rocket or guided missile from its intended trajectory.

22. Mechanics. displacement of the gimbals of a gyroscope due to friction on bearings, unbalance of the gyroscope's mass or other imperfections.

23. the thrust of an arched structure.

24. Dentistry. a shift of the teeth from their normal position in the dental arch.

25. Western U.S. a flock of animals or birds.

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verb (used without object)

drifts, present (3rd person singular) drifted, past participle, past drifting present participle

1. to be carried along by currents of water or air, or by the force of circumstances.

2. to wander aimlessly.

   He drifts from town to town.

3. to be driven into heaps, as by the wind.

   drifting sand.

4. to deviate or vary from a set course or adjustment.

verb (used with object)

drifts, present (3rd person singular) drifted, past participle, past drifting present participle

1. to carry along.

   The current drifted the boat to sea.

2. to drive into heaps.

   The wind drifted the snow.

3. Machinery.

   1. to enlarge (a punched or drilled hole) with a drift.

   2. to align or straighten (holes, especially rivet holes) with a drift.

verb phrase

1. drift off to fall asleep gradually.

drift British  

/ drɪft /

verb

1. (also tr) to be carried along by or as if by currents of air or water or (of a current) to carry (a vessel, etc) along

2. to move aimlessly from place to place or from one activity to another

3. to wander or move gradually away from a fixed course or point; stray

4. (also tr) (of snow, sand, etc) to accumulate in heaps or banks or to drive (snow, sand, etc) into heaps or banks

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noun

1. something piled up by the wind or current, such as a snowdrift

2. tendency, trend, meaning, or purport

   the drift of the argument

3. a state of indecision or inaction

4. the extent to which a vessel, aircraft, projectile, etc is driven off its course by adverse winds, tide, or current

5. a general tendency of surface ocean water to flow in the direction of the prevailing winds

   North Atlantic Drift

6. a driving movement, force, or influence; impulse

7. a controlled four-wheel skid, used by racing drivers to take bends at high speed

8. a loose unstratified deposit of sand, gravel, etc, esp one transported and deposited by a glacier or ice sheet

9. a horizontal passage in a mine that follows the mineral vein

10. something, esp a group of animals, driven along by human or natural agencies

    a drift of cattle

11. Also called: driftpin.  a tapering steel tool driven into holes to enlarge or align them before bolting or riveting

12. an uncontrolled slow change in some operating characteristic of a piece of equipment, esp an electronic circuit or component

13. linguistics gradual change in a language, esp in so far as this is influenced by the internal structure of the language rather than by contact with other languages

14. a ford

15. engineering a copper or brass bar used as a punch

drift Idioms  

1. see get the drift.

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Usage

What does drift mean? To drift is to be carried along by water or air currents, the way a rubber duck might drift around in a tub. To drift is also to carry something along, as an air current drifts dead leaves through the air. This force of motion is also called a drift, as in The ocean drift carried my boogie board out to sea!Related to this, drift can also mean to wander aimlessly. This sense can be used literally, as when you walk around a theme park with no specific destination in mind. It can also be used figuratively, as when you’re telling a friend a story about your cat and you drift into an unrelated story about your favorite video game. When we’re falling asleep slowly, we sometimes say we’re drifting off to sleep. Drift can also refer to a purpose or meaning. As your science teacher explains a new concept, you might understand a little of it, getting the drift of it, but not yet understand all of what they’re talking about. Example: We saw an empty raft drifting down the river.

Synonym Usage

See tendency.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• driftlessness
  noun
• driftless
  adjective
• drifty
  adjective
• undrifting
  adjective
• driftingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• drifts
  plural

Participles

• drifting
  present
• drifted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• drift
  simple
• drifts
  simple
• have drifted
  perfect
• has drifted
  perfect
• am drifting
  progressive
• are drifting
  progressive
• is drifting
  progressive
• have been drifting
  perfect progressive
• has been drifting
  perfect progressive

Past

• drifted
  simple
• had drifted
  perfect
• was drifting
  progressive
• were drifting
  progressive
• had been drifting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will drift
  simple
• will have drifted
  perfect
• will be drifting
  progressive
• will have been drifting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of drift

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English drift, noun derivative of the Old English verb drīfan drive; cognate with Dutch drift “herd, flock,” German Trift “herd, pasturage, road to pasture”

Explanation

If you get my drift, you get the basic meaning of what I'm saying. Or, if you move around without a seeming fixed destination, you are said to drift — whether you're a snowflake or just a wanderer. Interestingly, the verb to drift can be used either approvingly or disapprovingly. We rather admire the freedom of certain objects that drift, such as snow drifts or drift wood, but applied to people we're a bit more critical: we tend to harbor suspicions of the carefree Gypsy or nomad, hence the moral criticism (and danger) inherent in the term drifters.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

drift drifts drifted drifting

That edged him ahead of Erling Haaland by virtue of assists, with Three Lions captain Harry Kane one goal drift alongside France's Ousmane Dembele.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

But investors’ attention will likely drift Tuesday, at least temporarily, to a flood of bank earnings and the latest reading of U.S. consumer prices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Earnings estimates typically begin the year at optimistic levels and drift lower as the months pass.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

In simple terms, heavier dark matter particles gradually drift toward the centers of galaxies, while lighter particles spread outward over time.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

Then they heaved themselves up, staggered away from the ice cliffs, and collapsed in a drift .of powdery snow.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

By then, the chance of rain is greater more widely across the UK as the associated low pressure drifts northwards.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

Anything that drifts too close to the dreaded category of “dump and stir,” a phrase that has done real reputational harm to a perfectly sensible technique?

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

The mercury could climb to 38C in Ukraine this week as Europe's deadly, record-breaking heatwave drifts eastward, engulfing the western half of the war-torn country.

From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026

Tom Cruise spends the movie running through New Jersey with two terrified kids while ash drifts through the streets and giant alien war machines scoop humans into dangling metal cages.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026

I do, trying to focus on chewing and swallowing, but even when I attempt to concentrate, my mind drifts.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

Fricker was raised Catholic and attended Catholic school but drifted away from religion in her late teens.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

Across Incheon's Songdo Convensia convention centre, dozens of matches unfolded simultaneously on Friday as small, medium and large humanoid robots competed on compact pitches and spectators drifted from court to court.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

At 162 yen to the dollar, the currency has already drifted past the 160 level that triggered a run of intervention in April and May.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

It likely formed when two fragments produced by an earlier collision drifted together and merged under their own gravity.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026

The light was low from the rows of paper lanterns, and waiters drifted through the scene, carrying trays laden with food.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Designed to mimic the feel of stunt cars, its four-seated vehicles will twist and turn through banks in the track in an effort to create a drifting sensation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

Marine snow is made up of tiny clumps of dead algae, microbes, and other organic material drifting through the ocean.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

M.B.A. pay is drifting down—and so is demand for the degree.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

At the end of last season, this approach saw Marc Cucurella arrive in the box to good effect after drifting into an advanced midfield role.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

And we could still smell the smoke—it seemed to be clinging to the trees all around us, drifting about us like a yellow mist.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo

Related Words

• amble
• dance
• flit
• float
• flow
• flutter
• hover
• linger
• meander
• ride
• sail
• slide
• stray
• stroll
• waft
• wander
• wash