drive

[ drahyv ]

/ draɪv /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: drive / driven / drives / driving on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), drove

[drohv] /droʊv/ or (Archaic) drave

[dreyv], /dreɪv/, driv·en

[driv-uhn], /ˈdrɪv ən/, driv·ing.

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 impel; constrain; urge; compel.

to carry (business, an agreement, etc.) vigorously through: He drove a hard bargain.

to keep (machinery) going.

Baseball.

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.
to cause (a run) to be scored by hitting a fair ball: She drove in two runs in the sixth inning.

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).

verb (used without object), drove

[drohv] /droʊv/ or (Archaic) drave

[dreyv], /dreɪv/, driv·en

[driv-uhn], /ˈdrɪv ən/, driv·ing.

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.

noun

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).

adjective

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

Verb Phrases

drive at, to attempt or intend to convey; allude to; suggest: What are you driving at?

OTHER WORDS FOR drive

1 push, force.

28 push; ambition, motivation.

See synonyms for drive on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

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.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

driv·a·ble, drive·a·ble, adjectivenon·driv·a·ble, adjectivenon·drive·a·ble, adjectivepre·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

Words nearby drive

dripstone, dript, drisheen, drivability, drivage, drive, drive a hard bargain, drive a nail into one's coffin, drive at, driveaway, drive-by

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?

drivability (noun)
driver (noun)
nondrivable (adjective)
undrivable (adjective)

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.

Can’t decide between a midnight blue minivan with all wheel drive and foldable rear seats or a coffin.

— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) April 3, 2018

You’re not a firework, don’t drive lit. Happy fourth everyone 🇺🇸

— marshmello (@marshmellomusic) July 4, 2018

Hopefully that’s the swing Craw needed to get rolling! Always love the way he can drive the ball with power to CF and LF!

— George Kontos (@G_Kontos) August 16, 2020

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

The meal and merch are not only incredibly popular, but have spawned an entire TikTok meme, where people blast Scott’s “Sicko Mode” at the drive-thru instead of using their words to order.
McDonald’s Teaches Employees Travis Scott Catchphrases Because of TikTok Trend|Jaya Saxena|September 17, 2020|Eater
The narrowing gap in both states is being driven by non-college-educated women.
Trump contradicts CDC director on vaccine; Biden says Americans shouldn’t trust Trump|Colby Itkowitz, Felicia Sonmez, John Wagner|September 16, 2020|Washington Post
Winnebago’s website lists a starting price of $175,000 for its popular four-wheel-drive Revel, and even a used Sprinter at Vanlife Customs will set you back at least $100,000.
Can’t Afford a Sprinter? Get a Tiny Van Instead.|Emily Pennington|September 16, 2020|Outside Online
In categories such as credit cards, those commissions, particularly for publishers that drive high volumes of conversion, can run into the hundreds of dollars per user.
‘Helping people discover information’: How Red Ventures grew into a giant|Max Willens|September 16, 2020|Digiday

While von Spakovsky “hasn’t driven any policy decisions” that have taken place under the secretary, Fuchs said that she briefed von Spakovsky on her office’s actions regarding double voting and absentee ballots.
No Democrats Allowed: A Conservative Lawyer Holds Secret Voter Fraud Meetings With State Election Officials|by Mike Spies, Jake Pearson and Jessica Huseman|September 15, 2020|ProPublica
He used to drive her to school once he came home from the Marines.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The hope was that greater transparency about performance would drive results.
The ‘No Child’ Rewrite Threatens Your Kids’ Future|Jonah Edelman|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
You would only see it for a second, but it would drive you forward.
Lost For Thousands of Strokes: 'Desert Golfing' Is 'Angry Birds' as Modern Art|Alec Kubas-Meyer|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The traveling show arrived in Shreveport at 7:30 in the morning after an all-night drive.
How Martin Luther King Jr. Influenced Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’|Peter Guralnick|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We prefer to wave away the warning signs; like The Interview, Mulholland Drive was comfortably downplayed as over-the-top satire.
Pyongyang Shuffle: Hollywood In Dead Panic Over Sony Hack|James Poulos|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then with your victorious legions you can march south and help drive the Yankee invaders from the land.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
Wordsworth has illustrated how an unwise and importunate demand for a reason from a child may drive him into invention.
Children's Ways|James Sully
Give not up thy heart to sadness, but drive it from thee: and remember the latter end.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
If they will come to our villages and drive us out a hundred at a time, what would they do to one man alone?
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
He walked up the sweep of sandy drive to the hotel and went through the big glass doors.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood

British Dictionary definitions for drive

drive

/ (draɪv) /

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

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 statework 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 objectthe 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

noun

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 goala charity drive

British a large gathering of persons to play cards, etcSee 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 mechanismfluid 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

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

drive

OTHER WORDS FOR drive

Idioms about drive

Origin of drive

synonym study for drive

OTHER WORDS FROM drive

Words nearby drive

MORE ABOUT DRIVE

What does drive mean?

Where does drive come from?

Did you know … ?

How is drive used in real life?

Try using drive!

Words related to drive

How to use drive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for drive

Derived forms of drive

Word Origin for drive