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

See Examples For:

driving force

Mamdani spent his mayoral campaign last year beating the drum on affordability, singling out the high cost of housing as a driving force behind people leaving the city.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

He was the driving force behind their run to the final and that makes him the competition's standout player.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

“The word Mystic has also become a driving force of what this journey means to me,” Saleh says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

The Jogye Order, South Korea's main Buddhist order and a driving force behind the trend, is looking to make religion more "approachable", spokesman Monk Myojang told AFP.

From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026

In 1856 he became head of the natural history section of the British Museum, in which capacity he became the driving force behind the creation of London’s Natural History Museum.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson