drift

[ drift ]

/ drɪft /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR drift 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.

a 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.

Nearby words

driegh, drier, dries, driesch, driest, drift, drift anchor, drift angle, drift ice, drift indicator, drift lead

Origin of drift

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

SYNONYMS FOR drift

7 tenor.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR drift ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

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

Synonym study

7. See tendency.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for drifting

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
I think I would be a drifting pixel in the online dating world right now.
Patton Oswalt Sounds Off On Stand-Up’s Critics and Why Comedians Should Win Oscars|Marlow Stern|December 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But the positions are drifting apart—and each has its costs and benefits.
We’re Here, We’re Pro-Israel/Pro-Peace, We’re Used to It. Now What?|Jay Michaelson|September 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The air all around them was filled with a storm of leaves, billowing and drifting and soaring in the gusts.
Benjamin Franklin, America’s First Storm Chaser|Lee Sandlin|April 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And in Ireland they are drifting into great difficulties which may even break up the Cabinet.
Secret History of the English Occupation of Egypt|Wilfrid Scawen Blunt
Behind the boats—in the region whither we were drifting, every thing was dark as the grave.
The Loss of the Australia|Adam Yule
The former, in order to get through, was running south; the latter was drifting north, ready to close up every passage.
The English at the North Pole|Jules Verne
After a while you spied an old log canoe, drifting down the river, and the other boys waded out and got it.
Marco Paul's Voyages and Travels; Vermont|Jacob Abbott
It was the old life again, the life that he knew and loved, drifting on from camp to camp with every man his friend.
Silver and Gold|Dane Coolidge

British Dictionary definitions for drifting

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

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

Medicine definitions for drifting

drift

[ drĭft ]

n.

A gradual deviation from an original course, model, method, or intention.

Movement of teeth from their normal position in the dental arch because of the loss of contiguous teeth.

genetic drift

A variation or random oscillation about a fixed setting, position, or mode of behavior.

Idioms and Phrases with drifting

drift

see get the drift.