driver

American  

[drahy-ver] / ˈdraɪ vər /

noun

• drivers
  plural

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.

---

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

---

driver Idioms  

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

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nondriver
  noun
• driverless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• drivers
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of driver

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

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

driver drivers

Samsung’s chip-making division was the main growth driver, posting record operating profit of about 106.5 trillion won.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

"Historically in aviation, the main driver of fuel-burn reduction was the engine," Bruno Fichefeux, Airbus head of future programs, told AFP at the Farnborough Airshow in July.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

In September, the interest rate on a new car loan averaged 10.17% for a driver with a prime credit score, according to Dealertrack.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

He said his parents were "finding it a bit mad" with his dad going back to work as an Uber driver in Cardiff.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

"Every year," Mr. Weiss said to us, "we enter a driver in the Iditarod."

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

A Fed rate pause Wednesday likely won’t help drivers much, Robb said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

When actual rover drivers send instructions to vehicles in space, there is a time delay between when the radio signal is sent from Earth to when it reaches Mars.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

The new engines will have none of the problems of energy starvation about which drivers have complained this season.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026

“Our performance was driven by accelerating contributions from our company-specific growth drivers in automotive and industrial as well as continued momentum in data center infrastructure,” said Chief Executive Rafael Sotomayor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

There are too many bad drivers out there.

From "Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story" by Nora Raleigh Baskin

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• chauffeur
• jockey
• motorist
• operator
• trainer

---