driving

[ drahy-ving ]

/ ˈdraɪ vɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR driving ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

demanding a high or unreasonable rate of work from subordinates.

vigorously active; energetic: a driving young executive.

having force and violence: a driving storm.

relaying or transmitting power.

used while operating a vehicle: driving gloves.

Nearby words

driver's seat, driverless, drives, drivetrain, driveway, driving, driving barrel, driving chain, driving dog, driving force, driving iron

Origin of driving

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at drive, -ing²

Related formsdriv·ing·ly, adverb

Definition for driving (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 driving

Her slight miscalculation of how to fix the situation leads to her driving around the gas pump.
Slow Motion Tiger Jump, a Tornado at the Rose Bowl and More Viral Videos|The Daily Beast Video|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Tim Russert and I are driving back to the Albany airport after taking our kids to the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
Mario Cuomo, Always Moving Us Toward the Light|Mike Barnicle|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Youssef said the jailings are not only driving the community underground but pushing many to move abroad.
Sisi Is Persecuting, Prosecuting, and Publicly Shaming Egypt’s Gays|Bel Trew|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The next day, after driving to Putney on the outskirts of London, we start the end of our journey.
Biking With the Bard|Kara Cutruzzula|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“Driving on both sides, getting around cars, letting them know I was in a dire emergency,” Johnson says.
'Please Don't Die!': The Frantic Battle to Save Murdered Cops|Michael Daly|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The two horses, instinctively drawing close together, turned their tails to the driving flakes.
Two on the Trail|Hulbert Footner
It may be nuts to him and Mr. Arrowsmith to know that they have succeeded in driving my name out of the "N. & Q."
Notes and Queries, Number 191, June 25, 1853|Various
That nobleman was driving over Dumoor Heath in his coach well attended by armed servants.
Cornish Characters|S. Baring-Gould
The mosquitoes 412 trouble me so much that in driving them away I bespatter my paper with ink, as thou seest, God bless thee!
Audubon and his Journals, Volume I (of 2)|Maria R. Audubon
On a lovely afternoon our travelers were driving leisurely along through partially cleared woodland.
The Story of a Doctor's Telephone--Told by His Wife|Ellen M. Firebaugh

British Dictionary definitions for driving (1 of 2)

driving

/ (ˈdraɪvɪŋ) /

adjective

having or moving with force and violencedriving rain

forceful or energetic

relating to the controlling of a motor vehicle in motiondriving test

British Dictionary definitions for driving (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 driving (1 of 2)

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 driving (1 of 2)

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 driving

drive

[ drīv ]

n.

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

driving

adjective

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of driving

Definition for driving (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 driving

British Dictionary definitions for driving (1 of 2)

driving

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for driving (2 of 2)

drive

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

noun

Word Origin for drive

Word Origin and History for driving (1 of 2)

drive

Word Origin and History for driving (1 of 2)

drive

Medicine definitions for driving

drive

n.