driving force

Idioms  

1. The impetus, power, or energy behind something in motion, as in He was clearly the driving force in the new administration. This term transfers the force that sets in motion an engine or vehicle to other enterprises. Ralph Waldo Emerson was among the first to use it figuratively (English Traits, 1856): “The ability of its journals is the driving force.”

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Example Sentences

Heavy and sustained rainfall over multiple days increases the driving force within the Earth that produces landslides, while also reducing the strength of the soil, he said.

From Los Angeles Times

For many younger buyers, practicality is the driving force.

From Barron's

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., a driving force in the bipartisan push to release the files, bashed the DOJ in a social media post on Monday.

From Salon

As Rogers knows better than most, Emery's relentless quest for perfection is the driving force behind Villa's bid for an incredible title triumph.

From Barron's

He was a driving force behind a 1998 campaign to tax tobacco products to fund early childhood development in California.

From The Wall Street Journal