drift

[ drift ]

/ drɪft /

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See synonyms for: drift / drifted / drifting / driftless on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

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

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

Nautical.

the flow or the speed in knots of an ocean current.
the distance between the end of a rope and the part in use.
the distance between two blocks in a tackle.
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.

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

the course along which something moves; tendency; aim: The drift of political events after the war was toward chaos.

meaning; intent; purport: the drift of a statement.

something driven, as animals, rain, etc.

a heap of any matter driven together.

a snowdrift.

Geology. glacial drift.

the state or process of being driven.

overbearing power or influence.

Military. a tool used in charging an ordnance piece.

Electronics.

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

Linguistics. gradual change in the structure of a language.

Machinery.

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

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

Mining. an approximately horizontal passageway in underground mining.

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

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

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

the thrust of an arched structure.

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

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

verb (used without object)

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

to wander aimlessly: He drifts from town to town.

to be driven into heaps, as by the wind: drifting sand.

to deviate or vary from a set course or adjustment.

verb (used with object)

to carry along: The current drifted the boat to sea.

to drive into heaps: The wind drifted the snow.

Machinery.

to enlarge (a punched or drilled hole) with a drift.
to align or straighten (holes, especially rivet holes) with a drift.

Verb Phrases

drift off, to fall asleep gradually.

OTHER WORDS FOR drift

7 tenor.

See synonyms for drift on Thesaurus.com

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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”

synonym study for drift

7. See tendency.

OTHER WORDS FROM drift

drift·ing·ly, adverbdriftless, adjectivedrift·less·ness, nounun·drift·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use drift in a sentence

If she was right, the valley might be a rift where molten material came up from below, forming new crust and pushing the ocean floor apart — evidence that could support continental drift.
Marie Tharp’s groundbreaking maps brought the seafloor to the world|Betsy Mason|January 13, 2021|Science News
Holmes admitted he had no data to back up the idea, and the geology community remained largely unconvinced of continental drift.
How the Earth-shaking theory of plate tectonics was born|Carolyn Gramling|January 13, 2021|Science News
The move highlights the increasing dominance of conservative punditry at a network that positioned itself at its founding as a “fair and balanced” alternative to what it saw as a liberal drift in other media.
Fox News overhauls daily schedule, moving news anchor Martha MacCallum to make way for opinion expansion|Jeremy Barr|January 11, 2021|Washington Post
Because wind can build drifts of deep snow over holes, effectively hiding them from view, using a pole as a probe to detect divots can be a lifesaver in deep and uneven snowpack.
How to build snowshoes on the fly—and 4 other tips for surviving deep snow|By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life|January 5, 2021|Popular-Science

Residents continue to complain of drift from aerial spraying and heavy sediment pollution into Nehalem Bay, home to clams, Dungeness crab and runs of chinook and coho salmon.
Timber Tax Cuts Cost Oregon Towns Billions. Then Polluted Water Drove Up the Price.|by Tony Schick, Oregon Public Broadcasting, and Rob Davis, The Oregonian/OregonLive|January 1, 2021|ProPublica
Strong currents and winds, however, mean any debris could be drifting up to 31 miles a day eastward, away from the impact zone.
Wreckage, Bodies of AirAsia Crash Found|Lennox Samuels|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It may also have left them somewhat untethered, drifting in between their own lives and the eternal mysteries.
Sor Juana: Mexico’s Most Erotic Poet and Its Most Dangerous Nun|Katie Baker|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In this valley so far away from Syria, questions loom like mist drifting off the Caucasus.
The Secret Life of an ISIS Warlord|Will Cathcart, Vazha Tavberidze, Nino Burchuladze|October 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Tokyo Bay is “a black expanse where gulls wheeled above drifting shoals of white Styrofoam.”
American Dreams: Did William Gibson’s ‘Neuromancer’ Blueprint Our Reality?|Nathaniel Rich|October 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The life of the club owner was something Leonard left behind, the noise and violence drifting into lore.
The Stacks: How Leonard Chess Helped Make Muddy Waters|Alex Belth|August 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Something came up between me and Lyn—and I drifted, and kept drifting.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
To-morrow—a crippled veteran, and after that a pensioner drifting fast into a garrulous dotage.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
As there was not now a breath of wind, we were entirely at the mercy of the stream, and began drifting back.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
A sheet of rain came drifting across the lake toward the hillock on which the house stood.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn|Margaret Penrose
We were now drifting to the South by East through a wide channel, sounding in between fifty and sixty fathoms, rocky bottom.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King

British Dictionary definitions for drift

drift

/ (drɪft) /

verb (mainly intr)

(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

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

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

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

noun

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

tendency, trend, meaning, or purportthe drift of the argument

a state of indecision or inaction

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

a general tendency of surface ocean water to flow in the direction of the prevailing windsNorth Atlantic Drift

a driving movement, force, or influence; impulse

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

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

a horizontal passage in a mine that follows the mineral vein

something, esp a group of animals, driven along by human or natural agenciesa drift of cattle

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

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

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

Southern African a ford

engineering a copper or brass bar used as a punch

Derived forms of drift

drifty, adjective

Word Origin for drift

C13: from Old Norse: snowdrift; related to Old High German trift pasturage

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with drift

drift

see get the drift.

drift

OTHER WORDS FOR drift

Origin of drift

synonym study for drift

OTHER WORDS FROM drift

Words related to drift

How to use drift in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for drift

Derived forms of drift

Word Origin for drift

Other Idioms and Phrases with drift