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

Inflected Forms

noun

• drive-bys
  plural

Etymology

Origin of drive-by

Noun, adj. use of verb phrase drive by

Example Sentences

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

A spokesman for the office said the assessor has never done the kind of drive-by review Steele suggests.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 22, 2025

The monuments are astonishing to see, if only because one typically encounters them as an outdoor drive-by, raised high on tall pedestals that lift them 10, 30, even 50 feet in the air.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 22, 2025

The motorists, who say their cars have been badly damaged by reported potholes, sounded their horns on a slow drive-by on Saturday afternoon.

From BBC • Feb. 24, 2024

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