drive at

British

verb

informal (intr, preposition) to intend or mean

what are you driving at?

"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 at Idioms

Mean to do or say, as in I don't understand what he's driving at. Today this idiom, first recorded in 1579, is used mainly with the participle driving.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Michael Whitaker used to drive at an average of 65 miles an hour to 68 mph, hauling heavy equipment between Iowa, Maryland, Georgia and the Carolinas.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

“But we are aiming for that level four autonomy, where you don’t have to drive at all.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

This would drive massive route-density economics, and could drive at least $500 million in synergies for both companies.

From Barron's • Jan. 16, 2026

Different countries have varying types of GDLs, such as not allowing newly qualified drivers to carry passengers or not letting them drive at night.

From BBC • Jan. 6, 2026

"Either you ought to be more careful or you oughtn't to drive at all."

From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023