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

Six-time major champion Phil Mickelson has disputed allegations of misconduct carried in an investigation by golf publication Skratch, with his representatives calling the piece an "anonymously sourced drive-by shooting".

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

A suggestion that “The Boroughs” and the Coachella drive-by could be an early signal of a “Davis-sance” prompted a quick correction.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026

She added that the assessor’s office hasn’t done even a drive-by physical review of properties since 1997, which she says makes all of its work suspect.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 22, 2025

San José will pay $12 million to a man who was imprisoned for 17 years for a drive-by shooting he did not commit, the largest settlement paid by the city in a police misconduct case.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2024

“One more drive-by pit stop, then on to Vicksburg for refreshments,” she says.

From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone

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

Birthday drive-bys - which more fire departments are doing to lift the spirits of isolated children - and other non-coronavirus calls were a nice change.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 26, 2020

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