drive

American  

[drahyv] / draɪv /

verb (used with object)

• drives,
  present (3rd person singular)
• drove,
  past
• drave,
  past (Archaic)
• driven,
  past participle
• driving
  present participle

1. to send, expel, or otherwise cause to move by force or compulsion: to drive back an attacking army;

   to drive away the flies;

   to drive back an attacking army;

   to drive a person to desperation.

   Synonyms:

   force, push

2. to cause and guide the movement of (a vehicle, an animal, etc.): to drive a mule.

   to drive a car;

   to drive a mule.

3. to convey in a vehicle.

   She drove them to the station.

4. to force to work or act.

   He drove the workers until they collapsed.

5. to impel; constrain; urge; compel.

6. to carry (business, an agreement, etc.) vigorously through.

   He drove a hard bargain.

7. to keep (machinery) going.

8. Baseball.

   1. to cause the advance of (a base runner) by hitting a fair ball.

      Another blast off of Miller’s bat drives Rojas from first base all the way to third.

   2. to cause (a run) to be scored by hitting a fair ball.

      She drove in two runs in the sixth inning.

9. 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.

10. Sports.

    1. to hit or propel (a ball, puck, shuttlecock, etc.) very hard.

    2. to kick (a ball) with much force.

11. Hunting.

    1. to chase (game).

    2. to search (a district) for game.

12. to float (logs) down a river or stream.

13. (in mining, construction, etc.) to excavate (a mine or tunnel heading).

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verb (used without object)

• drives,
  present (3rd person singular)
• drove,
  past
• drave,
  past (Archaic)
• driven,
  past participle
• driving
  present participle

1. to cause and guide the movement of a vehicle or animal, especially to operate an automobile.

2. to go or travel in a driven vehicle.

   He drives to work with me.

3. 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.

4. to strive vigorously toward a goal or objective; to work, play, or try wholeheartedly and with determination.

5. to go along before an impelling force; be impelled.

   The ship drove before the wind.

6. to rush or dash violently.

noun

• drives
  plural

1. the act of driving.

2. a trip in a vehicle, especially a short pleasure trip.

   a Sunday drive in the country.

3. an impelling along, as of game, cattle, or floating logs, in a particular direction.

4. the animals, logs, etc., thus driven.

5. Psychology. an inner urge that stimulates activity or inhibition; a basic or instinctive need: sex drive.

   the hunger drive;

   sex drive.

6. a vigorous onset or onward course toward a goal or objective.

   the drive toward the goal line.

7. a strong military offensive.

8. a united effort to accomplish some specific purpose, especially to raise money, as for a charity.

9. energy and initiative.

   a person with great drive.

   Synonyms:

   motivation, ambition, push

10. vigorous pressure or effort, as in business.

11. a road for vehicles, especially a scenic one, as in or along a park, or a short one, as an approach to a house.

12. Machinery. a driving mechanism, as of an automobile: chain drive.

    gear drive;

    chain drive.

13. Automotive. the point or points of power application to the roadway: four-wheel drive.

    front-wheel drive;

    four-wheel drive.

14. Computers. a storage device, as a flash drive, HDD, or SSD.

15. Sports.

    1. an act or instance of driving a ball, puck, shuttlecock, or the like.

    2. the flight of such a ball, puck, shuttlecock, or the like, that has been driven with much force.

16. Golf. a shot, especially with a driver or driving iron from the tee, that is intended to carry a great distance.

17. a hunt in which game is driven toward stationary hunters.

18. Electronics. excitation.

adjective

1. noting or pertaining to a part of a machine or vehicle used for its propulsion.

verb phrase

1. drive at to attempt or intend to convey; allude to; suggest.

   What are you driving at?

idioms

1. let drive, to aim a blow or missile at; attack.

   He let drive at his pursuers.

drive British  

/ draɪv /

verb

1. to push, propel, or be pushed or propelled

2. to control and guide the movement of (a vehicle, draught animal, etc)

   to drive a car

3. (tr) to compel or urge to work or act, esp excessively

4. (tr) to goad or force into a specified attitude or state

   work drove him to despair

5. (tr) to cause (an object) to make or form (a hole, crack, etc)

   his blow drove a hole in the wall

6. to move or cause to move rapidly by striking or throwing with force

7. sport to hit (a ball) very hard and straight, as (in cricket) with the bat swinging more or less vertically

8. golf to strike (the ball) with a driver, as in teeing off

9. (tr)

   1. to chase (game) from cover into more open ground

   2. to search (an area) for game

10. to transport or be transported in a driven vehicle

11. (intr) to rush or dash violently, esp against an obstacle or solid object

    the waves drove against the rock

12. (tr) to carry through or transact with vigour (esp in the phrase drive a hard bargain )

13. (tr) to force (a component) into or out of its location by means of blows or a press

14. (tr) mining to excavate horizontally

15. (tr) to fell (a tree or trees) by the impact of another felled tree

16. 1. to cause to penetrate to the fullest extent

    2. to make clear by special emphasis

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noun

1. the act of driving

2. a trip or journey in a driven vehicle

3. 1. a road for vehicles, esp a private road leading to a house

   2. ( capital when part of a street name )

      Woodland Drive

4. vigorous or urgent pressure, as in business

5. a united effort, esp directed towards a common goal

   a charity drive

6. a large gathering of persons to play cards, etc See beetle drive whist drive

7. energy, ambition, or initiative

8. psychol a motive or interest, such as sex, hunger, or ambition, that actuates an organism to attain a goal

9. a sustained and powerful military offensive

10. 1. the means by which force, torque, motion, or power is transmitted in a mechanism

       fluid drive

    2. ( as modifier )

       a drive shaft

11. sport a hard straight shot or stroke

12. a search for and chasing of game towards waiting guns

13. electronics the signal applied to the input of an amplifier

Usage

What does drive mean? To drive is to cause and guide something that is moving, such as a car. To drive is also to cause to move forward by force, as when you drive flies away from your plate. Other senses of the verb drive describe moving something or someone, literally or figuratively. You can drive a hard bargain (make a good deal), drive yourself to exhaustion (work yourself too hard), drive a nail into a board (hit the nail into the board), and more. The noun drive also has many senses, related to the verb senses. A drive can be a trip in a vehicle, an inborn drive (push or urge) to succeed, and the act of driving a vehicle. Drive is also commonly used in sports, such as a drive on the golf course (a swing of the golf club, sending the ball a long way) and to drive (kick or propel) a ball down the sports field. Example: Drive down to the shop and ask for an application.

Synonym Usage

Drive, ride are used interchangeably to mean traveling in an automobile or, formerly, in a horse-drawn vehicle. These two words are not synonyms in other connections. To drive is to maneuver, guide, or steer the progress of a vehicle, animal, etc.: to drive a bus, a horse. To ride is to be carried about by an animal or be carried as a passenger in a vehicle: to ride a horse, a train, a bus.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• drivability
  noun
• predrive
  verb
• redrive
  verb
• drivable
  adjective
• driveable
  adjective
• nondrivable
  adjective
• nondriveable
  adjective
• undrivable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• drives
  plural

Participles

• driving
  present
• driven
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• drive
  simple
• drives
  simple
• have driven
  perfect
• has driven
  perfect
• am driving
  progressive
• are driving
  progressive
• is driving
  progressive
• have been driving
  perfect progressive
• has been driving
  perfect progressive

Past

• drave
  simple
• drove
  simple
• had driven
  perfect
• was driving
  progressive
• were driving
  progressive
• had been driving
  perfect progressive

Future

• will drive
  simple
• will have driven
  perfect
• will be driving
  progressive
• will have been driving
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of drive

First recorded before 900; Middle English drīven, Old English drīfan; cognate with Dutch drijven, Old Norse drīfa, Gothic dreiban, German treiben

Explanation

To drive is to operate or travel in a motor vehicle. You can drive a car, a bus, or a go-kart. Drive is one of those multi-functioning words with a lot of uses. In a very general sense it relates to pushing, or a push in a direction; drive and go go hand in hand. You could drive across country, drive cattle on a cattle drive, drive a golf ball by hitting it off a tee, drive prey into the open, clean your computer’s hard drive, or drive someone crazy. But do you really have the drive to do all that?

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

drive drives drave drove driven driving

Tech companies regularly appoint people who may not have the direct experience for a role but have the strategic vision and drive to make a difference.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

Three plays into that against-all-odds drive, the Seahawks stripped the ball from Justin Herbert, recovered the fumble and ran out the clock.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

With the prospect of borrowing costs being kept on hold for now, tech-rich markets were the big beneficiaries as such firms rely on debt to drive their vast investments.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

The drive to build is, at bottom, an effort to haul energy out of the litigation thicket.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

Without asking Leah or Mother, he hired a carriage to drive Maggie to a dressmaker so he could buy her some new clothes.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

She used to get motion sick only on their 600-mile drives to France during the school holidays, but now he says even the 30-minute drive to the nearest city makes his daughter feel unwell.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

His home is solar-powered and he drives a Tesla Model 3.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

Western Digital and Seagate’s Japanese rival Toshiba plans to double its production capacity for drives used in AI data centers in fiscal 2027, Nikkei reports.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

The report also noted that the company’s planned expansion of a Philippines plant would mark its first meaningful investment in hard disk drives in half a decade.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

Fina tells me to come to her house, and Dad drives me into town, which is crowded since it’s Saturday.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

Count Guido, the vicar, with the Tuscan league and the forces of the Pisans, marched upon Lucca, whereon the Lucchese made their peace, and drave out the Guelf refugees from Lucca.

From Villani's Chronicle Being Selections from the First Nine Books of the Croniche Fiorentine of Giovanni Villani by Giovanni Villani

Cameron also had won clear; but, seeing his brother Michael hard beset, he turned rein and drave in among the smother again, raging like the lion he was.

From The Men of the Moss-Hags Being a history of adventure taken from the papers of William Gordon of Earlstoun in Galloway by S. R. (Samuel Rutherford) Crockett

And still they drave him hard; and ever near Seemed that great hart unwearied; and such cheer Still stung them to the chase.

From Accolon of Gaul with Other Poems by Madison Julius Cawein

And they drave him through the town and Sir Launcelot retreated before them toward the castle; for he wist even in his madness that there were friends there who should help him.

From The Story of Sir Launcelot and His Companions by Howard Pyle

So when all was ready for the encounter, as aforesaid, each knight shouted aloud and drave spur to horse and each charged against the other with all the fury of two wild bulls.

From The Story of Sir Launcelot and His Companions by Howard Pyle

She allegedly flew to Seattle on September 1, 2025, rented a black Nissan and drove to Lai's son's home, according to a court document seen by AFP.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

Then we drove over to the state Education Department to deliver the request.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

Prosecutors say Linton, 41, was furious with co-workers and thinking about quitting her job at Kaiser Permanente hospital in West L.A. when she drove down La Brea Avenue.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Commerce says data centers drove the increase, while information processing equipment contributed to stronger consumer spending.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

It drove Camille nuts, but I turned my phone volume up overnight so I wouldn’t miss a message from her.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

It said U.S. large-capitalization companies have broadly absorbed the climb in bond yields well and are also supported by forecasts of strong earnings growth driven by investment related to AI.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

Last month, anglers spotted a giant whale shark swimming off Malibu and Santa Barbara Island, a rare occurrence probably driven by warmer waters from El Niño.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

While headline inflation accelerated above the NBP’s target in September, this was driven by an external energy shock with no clear signs of broader inflationary pressures, they said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

"While it's still mainly driven by energy prices, broader inflationary pressures are mounting as energy prices are expected to stay elevated."

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

By the end of January 1945, the Americans had driven the Germans back to their own border.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

My mom was driving me door to door to radio stations all over Texas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

In the capital's central third district on Monday morning, dozens of teenage students chanted in protest, as cars honked their horns in support while driving past, while others made their way into class.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

Youth sports overall is now a $40 billion-a-year industry—with private-equity investors driving much of the growth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

"When Bellingham is on the pitch, he is always driving forward and going again and again," Wright said.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

“Probably. I’ll bet they’re driving out of camp right now. Maybe they’re already going across the bridge.”

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

Related Words

• cruise
• drag
• fly
• guide
• operate
• propel
• push
• ride
• run
• send
• speed
• spin
• start
• steer
• transport
• travel
• turn