drift
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.
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.
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.
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.
drift off, to fall asleep gradually.
Origin of drift
1synonym study For drift
Other words for drift
Other words from drift
- drift·ing·ly, adverb
- driftless, adjective
- drift·less·ness, noun
- un·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 NewsHolmes 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 NewsThe 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 PostBecause 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-ScienceResidents 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.
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 | THE DAILY BEASTIn 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 | THE DAILY BEASTTokyo 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 | THE DAILY BEASTThe 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 | THE DAILY BEASTSomething came up between me and Lyn—and I drifted, and kept drifting.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairTo-morrow—a crippled veteran, and after that a pensioner drifting fast into a garrulous dotage.
The Soldier of the Valley | Nelson LloydAs 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 PfeifferA sheet of rain came drifting across the lake toward the hillock on which the house stood.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn | Margaret PenroseWe were now drifting to the South by East through a wide channel, sounding in between fifty and sixty fathoms, rocky bottom.
British Dictionary definitions for drift
/ (drɪft) /
(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
something piled up by the wind or current, such as a snowdrift
tendency, trend, meaning, or purport: the 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 winds: North 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 agencies: a 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
Origin of drift
1Derived forms of drift
- drifty, adjective
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
see get the drift.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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