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

As soon as they begin to wonder, the Holbrooke sisters — almost imperceptibly — begin to drift apart before snapping back in place.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026

So yeah, I have enough to let a year drift, but I don’t know how to gauge or judge getting back into the club, the business, because corporations are frightened.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

Nothing like that was immediately announced, but the drift is what Beijing is betting on.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

Powerful winds break up the ice cover, causing individual floes to move, drift, and collide with one another.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026

My arms overlap and drift above my head, forming a long oval.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

The immense umbrella cloud that forms does not behave like a normal ash plume that simply drifts with the prevailing wind.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

Sea-level rise is measured in millimeters, so tiny drifts in the reference frame prevent accurate calculations of coastal risk.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

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

In “God Knows Where I Am,” Linda Bishop, diagnosed variously as having “bipolar disorder with psychosis” or schizoaffective disorder, drifts “between shelters, hospitals, and jail” before finding refuge in a deserted farmhouse.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

So tonight as the moon hovers outside my window, and the music drifts m with the midnight air, I make this my promise to myself.

From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles

Whether the North Korean mines were deliberately planted or had drifted would be determined by the final investigation, said Joint Chiefs of Staff director of operations Yang Jin-hyeok.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

Although the system was conceptually elegant and mathematically orderly, it gradually drifted farther away from the natural seasonal cycle it was meant to organize.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026

The unemployment rate has drifted down to 4.1% after rising to 4.5% late last year, and hiring has exceeded the pace needed to absorb new workers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

Harp and her brother were close as young children but drifted apart as they got older.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

Smoke drifted in through the open door, and Akira closed it behind them.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

“It would somehow feel thin and hollow, and people may not know why their attention is drifting, but it would drift,” MacFarlane said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

The hazardous smoke has led to an increase in respiratory problems, forced schools to close, and has been drifting to neighbouring countries including -- Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines.

From Barron's ● Sep. 5, 2026

Their rarity and longevity make them especially valuable to researchers studying glacier retreat, changing ocean conditions and the risks posed by drifting ice in polar regions.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026

The bodies were now being recovered further away from the scene of the sinking, some of them drifting towards Zambia, the Herald reports.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Natalie panicked, watching their one chance at escape drifting away.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

Related Words

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