drive
to send, expel, or otherwise cause to move by force or compulsion: to drive away the flies;to drive back an attacking army;to drive a person to desperation.
to cause and guide the movement of (a vehicle, an animal, etc.): to drive a car;to drive a mule.
to convey in a vehicle: She drove them to the station.
to force to work or act: He drove the workers until they collapsed.
to carry (business, an agreement, etc.) vigorously through: He drove a hard bargain.
to keep (machinery) going.
Baseball.
Golf. to hit (a golf ball), especially from the tee, as with a driver or driving iron: She drove the ball within ten feet of the pin.
Sports.
to hit or propel (a ball, puck, shuttlecock, etc.) very hard.
to kick (a ball) with much force.
Hunting.
to chase (game).
to search (a district) for game.
to float (logs) down a river or stream.
(in mining, construction, etc.) to excavate (a mine or tunnel heading).
to cause and guide the movement of a vehicle or animal, especially to operate an automobile.
to go or travel in a driven vehicle: He drives to work with me.
Golf. to hit a golf ball, especially from the tee, as with a driver or driving iron: He drove long and straight throughout the match.
to strive vigorously toward a goal or objective; to work, play, or try wholeheartedly and with determination.
to go along before an impelling force; be impelled: The ship drove before the wind.
to rush or dash violently.
the act of driving.
a trip in a vehicle, especially a short pleasure trip: a Sunday drive in the country.
an impelling along, as of game, cattle, or floating logs, in a particular direction.
the animals, logs, etc., thus driven.
Psychology. an inner urge that stimulates activity or inhibition; a basic or instinctive need: the hunger drive;sex drive.
a vigorous onset or onward course toward a goal or objective: the drive toward the goal line.
a strong military offensive.
a united effort to accomplish some specific purpose, especially to raise money, as for a charity.
energy and initiative: a person with great drive.
vigorous pressure or effort, as in business.
a road for vehicles, especially a scenic one, as in or along a park, or a short one, as an approach to a house.
Machinery. a driving mechanism, as of an automobile: gear drive;chain drive.
Automotive. the point or points of power application to the roadway: front-wheel drive;four-wheel drive.
Computers. a storage device, as a flash drive, HDD, or SSD.
Sports.
an act or instance of driving a ball, puck, shuttlecock, or the like.
the flight of such a ball, puck, shuttlecock, or the like, that has been driven with much force.
Golf. a shot, especially with a driver or driving iron from the tee, that is intended to carry a great distance.
a hunt in which game is driven toward stationary hunters.
Electronics. excitation (def. 5).
noting or pertaining to a part of a machine or vehicle used for its propulsion.
drive at, to attempt or intend to convey; allude to; suggest: What are you driving at?
Idioms about drive
let drive, to aim a blow or missile at; attack: He let drive at his pursuers.
Origin of drive
1synonym study For drive
Other words for drive
Other words from drive
- driv·a·ble, drive·a·ble, adjective
- non·driv·a·ble, adjective
- non·drive·a·ble, adjective
- pre·drive, verb, pre·drove, pre·driv·en, pre·driv·ing.
- re·drive, verb, re·drove, re·driv·en, re·driv·ing.
- un·driv·a·ble, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use drive in a sentence
Hall and three others drove the teenager to a motel room in Arkansas, where they assaulted her and then beat her with a shovel before she was buried alive.
Supreme Court continues capital punishment trend with Barrett on the bench | Robert Barnes | November 20, 2020 | Washington PostWalmart partners with self-driving startup Nuro to test autonomous grocery delivery in Houston
Walmart is buying JoyRun assets to add ‘peer-to-peer’ product delivery | Brian Heater | November 20, 2020 | TechCrunch“There’s a pretty long history behind different retailers attempting to drive their suppliers to label their products,” Bateman said.
Trying to shop sustainably? Here’s what you need to consider. | Sarah Kaplan | November 20, 2020 | Washington PostWe had lost cell reception on the drive in, and I have not missed it for a second.
On mountain bikes in the Utah desert, a college reunion like no other | John Briley | November 20, 2020 | Washington PostNina had never heard her son this emotional before, and she inched to the edge of the bed, scanning her closet for clothes and planning a drive to Washington.
For undrafted NFL rookies, the odds were even longer this year. Isaiah Wright made it anyway. | Sam Fortier | November 20, 2020 | Washington Post
High hills surrounded the lake and the drivable stream was ten miles away.
The Marvelous Exploits of Paul Bunyan | W. B. Laughead
British Dictionary definitions for drive
/ (draɪv) /
to push, propel, or be pushed or propelled
to control and guide the movement of (a vehicle, draught animal, etc): to drive a car
(tr) to compel or urge to work or act, esp excessively
(tr) to goad or force into a specified attitude or state: work drove him to despair
(tr) to cause (an object) to make or form (a hole, crack, etc): his blow drove a hole in the wall
to move or cause to move rapidly by striking or throwing with force
sport to hit (a ball) very hard and straight, as (in cricket) with the bat swinging more or less vertically
golf to strike (the ball) with a driver, as in teeing off
(tr)
to chase (game) from cover into more open ground
to search (an area) for game
to transport or be transported in a driven vehicle
(intr) to rush or dash violently, esp against an obstacle or solid object: the waves drove against the rock
(tr) to carry through or transact with vigour (esp in the phrase drive a hard bargain)
(tr) to force (a component) into or out of its location by means of blows or a press
(tr) mining to excavate horizontally
(tr) NZ to fell (a tree or trees) by the impact of another felled tree
drive home
to cause to penetrate to the fullest extent
to make clear by special emphasis
the act of driving
a trip or journey in a driven vehicle
a road for vehicles, esp a private road leading to a house
(capital when part of a street name): Woodland Drive
vigorous or urgent pressure, as in business
a united effort, esp directed towards a common goal: a charity drive
British a large gathering of persons to play cards, etc: See beetle drive, whist drive
energy, ambition, or initiative
psychol a motive or interest, such as sex, hunger, or ambition, that actuates an organism to attain a goal
a sustained and powerful military offensive
the means by which force, torque, motion, or power is transmitted in a mechanism: fluid drive
(as modifier): a drive shaft
sport a hard straight shot or stroke
a search for and chasing of game towards waiting guns
electronics the signal applied to the input of an amplifier
Origin of drive
1Derived forms of drive
- drivable or driveable, adjective
- drivability or driveability, noun
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
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