driver

American  

[drahy-ver] / ˈdraɪ vər /

noun

1. a person or thing that drives.

2. a person who drives a vehicle; coachman, chauffeur, etc.

3. a person who drives an animal or animals, as a drover or cowboy.

4. Also called number one wood.  Golf. a club with a wooden head whose face has almost no slope, for hitting long, low drives from the tee.

5. Machinery.

   1. a part that transmits force or motion.

   2. the member of a pair of connected pulleys, gears, etc., that is nearer to the power source.

6. Computers. software or hardware that controls the interface between a computer and a peripheral device.

7. Railroads. driving wheel.

8. British. a locomotive engineer.

9. Audio.

   1. the part of a loudspeaker that transforms the electrical signal into sound.

   2. the entire loudspeaker.

10. Nautical.

    1. a jib-headed spanker sail.

    2. a designation given to one of the masts abaft the mizzen on a sailing vessel having more than three masts, either the fifth or sixth from forward.

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driver British  

/ ˈdraɪvə /

noun

1. a person who drives a vehicle

2. in a position of control

3. a person who drives animals

4. a mechanical component that exerts a force on another to produce motion

5. golf a club, a No. 1 wood, with a large head and deep face for tee shots

6. electronics a circuit whose output provides the input of another circuit

7. computing a computer program that controls a device

8. something that creates and fuels activity, or gives force or impetus

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driver Idioms  

1. see backseat driver; in the driver's seat.

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Other Word Forms

• driverless adjective
• nondriver noun

Etymology

Origin of driver

First recorded in 1350–1400, driver is from the Middle English word drivere. See drive, -er ¹

Example Sentences

The driver then drove a few blocks away in the damaged Maserati and abandoned it, they said.

From Los Angeles Times

The film shows how this project has become an important local asset and economic driver, providing jobs and skills, training 10,000 people a year.

From BBC

One popular grift involved running improper trades in military license plates, which drivers could abuse to speed through traffic and avoid paying road tolls.

From The Wall Street Journal

Over time, this behavior can unintentionally turn a single stock into the dominant driver of household net worth without a deliberate decision ever being made.

From MarketWatch

The brakes squeak, the door whooshes open, and I step up to ask the driver, a big woman with long pink fingernails and shiny skin, how to get to Rancho Renato.

From Literature

Related Words

• chauffeur
• jockey
• motorist
• operator
• trainer