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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Idioms about drive

    let drive, to aim a blow or missile at; attack: He let drive at his pursuers.

Origin of drive

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

synonym study for drive

2, 15. 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 WORDS FROM drive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT DRIVE

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.

Where does drive come from?

The first records of the term drive come from before the 900s. It ultimately comes from the Old English drīfan. Drive is used in many verb phrases of unknown origin, but the words associated with it sometimes drastically change its meaning.

Another common use of drive refers to computer storage devices, such as a flash drive, hard drive, and a solid-state drive.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to drive

What are some synonyms for drive?

What are some words that share a root or word element with drive

What are some words that often get used in discussing drive?

How is drive used in real life?

Drive is a common word with several meanings. It’s frequently used to discuss guiding a vehicle.

 

 

Try using drive!

Which of the following can you drive?

A. vehicle
B. argument
C. ball
D. all of the above

How to use drive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for drive

drive
/ (draɪv) /

verb drives, driving, drove (drəʊv) or driven (ˈdrɪvən)
noun

Derived forms of drive

drivable or driveable, adjectivedrivability or driveability, noun

Word Origin for drive

Old English drīfan; related to Old Frisian drīva, Old Norse drīfa, Gothic dreiban, Old High German trīban
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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