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.

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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

Derived Forms

• nondriver
  noun
• driverless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• drivers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of driver

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

driver drivers

A short time later, officers tracked down the “hit-and-run vehicle” and identified the driver as Rycroft.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

Which is why Italy’s decadeslong failure to produce a world champion driver had always felt so confounding.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

Among them was Kamel Ben Mbarek, 42, who said he had worked as a driver for the group's Islamic police in Raqqa, in northern Syria.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

Fourth place on the grid is low-key for the Mercedes driver in the context of his season as a whole - and the gargantuan achievement of which he stands on the brink.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

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

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

For now, Rasgon said he’s focused on Nvidia and Broadcom, which he views as the main drivers of the chip trade.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

He was consistently down on himself, even saying at one low point in the summer of 2025 that he was "just useless" and suggesting Ferrari should change drivers.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

Richard De La Haye has been a taxi driver for more than 40 years and believes the drone activity is affecting business for drivers like him.

From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026

Now, parents say, widespread access to rideshares makes it easier to avoid getting in cars with drivers under the influence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026

Women of other countries served in World War I as nurses, ambulance drivers, and communications personnel.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

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Related Words

• chauffeur
• jockey
• motorist
• operator
• trainer

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