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.”

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

driving force

"So these Kelvin waves are, in many ways, the driving force of El Nino. They help El Nino grow and mature over the course of several months," said Amaya.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

If each conspiracy theory evolved from a dark mind, if human cruelty were the driving force behind all of this, there would be little hope for us.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

Sewn into every stitch for the last decade, curiosity has remained a driving force behind Kostadinov’s work.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

But they largely agreed that social media was the main driving force behind so many young people heading there.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

In 1958 he’d made history as the driving force behind the first ascent of Hidden Peak, a 26,470-foot mountain in the Karakoram Range of Pakistan—the highest first ascent ever achieved by American climbers.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer