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

“We continue to see AI as the driving force behind the supply demand imbalance in the memory market,” wrote Mizuho analyst Vijay Rakesh.

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

Waller was a driving force behind the Fed’s three rate cuts in the second half of last year.

From MarketWatch • May 23, 2026

The One Ring, a symbol of power and the driving force behind Tolkien's saga dominates the reverse, or tails side of the 50p coin.

From BBC • May 20, 2026

That fear is still a driving force; Amazon, Meta and Google’s parent all used their quarterly reports three months ago to project big jumps in capital spending this year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

But even that dynamic wasn’t unique; the same thing was happening in Wes’s neighborhood, where Hopkins was the driving force of change, aimed at improving the quality of life for students and faculty.

From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore