drive-by

American  

[drahyv-bahy] / ˈdraɪvˌbaɪ /

noun

• drive-bys
  plural

1. the action of driving by a specified locality, object, etc..

   a drive-by of Nelson's Monument.

2. a drive-by shooting.

   The gang member was killed in a drive-by.

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adjective

1. consisting of or featuring a drive-by.

   We boarded the sightseeing bus for a drive-by tour of the nation's capital.

2. occurring while driving past a person, object, etc..

   a drive-by shooting.

3. casual; superficial; offhand.

   a drive-by news analysis.

4. involving a brief stay in a hospital, clinic, etc..

   a drive-by mastectomy.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• drive-bys
  plural

Etymology

Origin of drive-by

Noun, adj. use of verb phrase drive by

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

drive-by drive-bys

Anonymous quotes, drive-by commentary and incendiary mailers may be standard campaign fare.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026

Keith said the couple get "quite a lot of drive-by fans" while they are working on the property.

From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026

But his drive-by attack on voclosporin caused a plunge in the share price of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals, which makes the drug.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025

This is not a drive-by charity; we’re here for the long haul.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2025

But no one is acknowledging what at least is clear, that someone took a little trouble with this one, that it’s not a drive-by situation, it’s not the work of vandals or addicts.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee

For Trump, the surprise drive-bys started in South Carolina, where he appeared at a restaurant called Zesto of West Columbia.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 14, 2023

Places like Getty have drive-bys and generic stuff.

From Salon ● Feb. 17, 2022

Similar jaw-dropping experiences are common in the neighborhoods in and around Studio City, where an invigorating blend of Los Angeles Cultural Monuments, Modernist masterpieces and pop culture icons offer endless opportunity for starstruck drive-bys.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2019

The response to Lee’s photo has been less than kind, with some commenters doing emotional drive-bys to ridicule her.

From The Verge ● Sep. 20, 2018

Besides the happy, sad, and funny funerals, there were the super quick in-and-out funerals, or as Robbie Ray called them, drive-bys.

From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds