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

They would sometimes drift in the same direction, but the relationship was loose.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

While watching smoke from wildfires in Canada drift over Minnesota, Winker said she has also been monitoring the Spanish fires.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

In a slow, steady drift, which is worse, because you never see it on any single day.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

During this phase, their outer layers churn and gradually drift into space, while the dense cores left behind shrink into white dwarfs.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026

Fat white snowflakes drift past the window, barely visible in the dark.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

The waxy scent that drifts up the escalators at the Los Angeles Central Library is immediately familiar to anyone who remembers the Mold-A-Rama.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

It sees a risk that the full-year margin drifts towards 5%, but that could still see it rank above other European automakers for 2026 overall.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

Standing beside her hospital bed, his mind drifts to Paris and to Penelope, the aspiring musician he married after falling hopelessly in love.

From Salon ● Jun. 30, 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

Great drifts were banked against the walls and windows, and in the morning when Pa opened the door, there was a wall of snow as high as Laura’s head.

From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Clients have drifted away from Song Oh-soon's fortune-telling village on the edge of Seoul, preferring online AI-powered divination to the centuries-old prophesying tradition still practised there.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

Smoke from the fire drifted across both sides of the Solent, prompting fire crews to urge people to keep doors and windows shut.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

He drifted into Harlem theatrical work and met a fellow 19-year-old who would become a lifelong friend—Sidney Poitier.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

It drifted all the way down to 40, which means that only $40 was being spent on puts for every $100 being spent on calls.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

The princess’s eyes drifted shut and her face went slack.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

The drifting “Other Plans” is so minimal that much of Ms. Bridgers’s melody line consists of a single repeated note.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Now on Wednesday, scientists expect the Moon will experience yet another collision, this time from a drifting SpaceX rocket that has been travelling at around 2.43 kilometres per second, or about 5,400mph.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Satellite imagery above Gironde shows vast areas of scorched, blackened earth, with smoke drifting inland to the east.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Whether from the latest smoke drifting south from Canada or record-breaking fires here at home, the lesson is the same: We have neglected active forest management for far too long.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Nap in the cinema in town, slumped in the back row with my Tigers cap pulled low over my eyes, drifting off to the eerie string music of Son of Frankenstein.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

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