driven

[ driv-uh n ]

/ ˈdrɪv ən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR driven ON THESAURUS.COM

verb

past participle of drive.

adjective

being under compulsion, as to succeed or excel: a driven young man who was fiercely competitive.

controlled or propelled by something specified (used in combination): a market-driven approach to retaining talent; data-driven business strategies; a water pump that is solar driven.

Nearby words

drive-time, drive-up, driveaway, drivel, driveline, driven, driver, driver ant, driver ed, driver education, driver's license

Related formsdriv·en·ness, nounun·driv·en, adjectivewell-driv·en, adjective

Definition for driven (2 of 2)

drive

[ drahyv ]

/ draɪv /

verb (used with object), drove or (Archaic) drave, driv·en, 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 a base hit or sacrifice fly: He drove him home with a scratch single.
to cause (a run) to be scored by a base hit or sacrifice fly: He drove in two runs.

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 or (Archaic) drave, driv·en, 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.

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?

Origin of drive

before 900; Middle English drīven, Old English drīfan; cognate with Dutch drijven, Old Norse drīfa, Gothic dreiban, German treiben

SYNONYMS FOR drive

1 push, force.

28 push; ambition, motivation.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR drive ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

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

Synonym study

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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for driven

Eating disorders, on the other hand, are driven largely by biological processes that occur on the inside.
How Skinny Is Too Skinny? Israel Bans ‘Underweight’ Models|Carrie Arnold|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Within a few years, Iran had jailed or driven from the country more than 60 Sunni clerics.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan|Umar Farooq|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The execution of two police officers in cold blood has shocked the city and driven a deeper wedge between the cops and the mayor.
Two Cops ‘Assassinated’ in Brooklyn|Michael Daly|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Women like (gaming blogger Anita Sarkeesian) were threatened, doxxed, and driven from their homes.
10 Things That Made Us Want to Turn Off the Internet Forever in 2014|The Daily Beast|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The GOP is driven in part by the fact, that three years ago, public sector union members became the majority of union members.
The GOP and Police Unions: A Love Story|Eleanor Clift|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One bolt struck near with a tremendous shock and the air was driven in violent waves into the very mouth of the cave.
The Keepers of the Trail|Joseph A. Altsheler
I was driven to take refuge in a miserable little place, where I fared as ill as possible.
Sketches in Canada, and rambles among the red men|Anna Brownell Jameson
They were driven out as the result of a Russian counterattack.
The Story of the Great War, Volume VI (of VIII)|Various
The light of these days has driven the fiery dragon to take refuge among nations not yet visited by the light of civilization.
The Curiosities of Heraldry|Mark Antony Lower
They made several sallies, but the Indians had driven stakes and prepared other obstacles in which the horses became entangled.
The Spanish Pioneers|Charles F. Lummis

British Dictionary definitions for driven (1 of 2)

driven

/ (ˈdrɪvən) /

verb

the past participle of drive

British Dictionary definitions for driven (2 of 2)

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 Formsdrivable 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

Word Origin and History for driven (1 of 3)

driven

adj.

"motivated," by 1972, past participle adjective from drive (v.).

Word Origin and History for driven (1 of 3)

drive

Old English drifan "to drive, force, hunt, pursue; rush against" (class I strong verb; past tense draf, past participle drifen), from Proto-Germanic *dribanan (cf. Old Frisian driva, Old Saxon driban, Dutch drijven, Old High German triban, German treiben, Old Norse drifa, Gothic dreiban "to drive"). Not found outside Germanic. Original sense of "pushing from behind," altered in Modern English by application to automobiles. Related: Driving.

MILLER: "The more you drive, the less intelligent you are." ["Repo Man," 1984]

Word Origin and History for driven (2 of 3)

drive

1690s, "act of driving," from drive (v.). Meaning "excursion by vehicle" is from 1785. Golfing sense of "forcible blow" is from 1836. Meaning "organized effort to raise money" is 1889, American English. Sense of "dynamism" is from 1908. In the computing sense, first attested 1963.

Medicine definitions for driven

drive

[ drīv ]

n.

A strong motivating tendency or instinct, especially of sexual or aggressive origin, that prompts activity toward a particular end.

Idioms and Phrases with driven

driven

see pure as the driven snow.

driven

verb

adjective

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Definition for driven (2 of 2)

drive

verb (used with object), drove or (Archaic) drave, driv·en, driv·ing.

verb (used without object), drove or (Archaic) drave, driv·en, driv·ing.

noun

adjective

Verb Phrases

Origin of drive

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for driven

British Dictionary definitions for driven (1 of 2)

driven

verb

British Dictionary definitions for driven (2 of 2)

drive

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

noun

Word Origin for drive

Word Origin and History for driven (1 of 3)

driven

Word Origin and History for driven (1 of 3)

drive

Word Origin and History for driven (2 of 3)

drive

Medicine definitions for driven

drive

n.

Idioms and Phrases with driven

driven