Showing results for "drove"

• past tense form of drive.

drove

¹ American  

[drohv] / droʊv /

verb

1. simple past tense of drive.

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drove ² American  

[drohv] / droʊv /

noun

droves plural

1. a number of oxen, sheep, or swine driven in a group; herd; flock.

2. Usually droves a large crowd of human beings, especially in motion.

   They came to Yankee Stadium in droves.

3. Also called drove chisel.  Masonry. a chisel, from 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) broad at the edge, for dressing stones to an approximately true surface.

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verb (used with or without object)

droved, droving

1. to drive or deal in (cattle) as a drover; herd.

2. Masonry. to work or smooth (stone) as with a drove.

drove ¹ British  

/ drəʊv /

noun

1. a herd of livestock being driven together

2. (often plural) a moving crowd of people

3. a narrow irrigation channel

4. Also called: drove chisel.  a chisel with a broad edge used for dressing stone

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verb

1. 1. (tr) to drive (a group of livestock), usually for a considerable distance

   2. (intr) to be employed as a drover

2. to work (a stone surface) with a drove

drove ² British  

/ drəʊv /

verb

1. the past tense of drive

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Synonym Usage

See flock ¹.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• droves
  plural

Etymology

Origin of drove

First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English drāf “that which is driven,” i.e., “herd, flock”; akin to drive

Example Sentences

One day, we drove to Little Italy — what’s left of it — in my rattly gray Honda and found a shop that felt sufficiently old-school.

From Salon • Jul. 11, 2026

Appleby said a coconut shortage several months ago drove up prices due to record demand and extreme weather that disrupted supplies.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 11, 2026

Arizona extended its lead in the sixth after Tawa hit an RBI single to left and Perdomo drove in a run on a groundout to first.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 11, 2026

A few weeks before she died, Kelly drove past Scatchard's house in Minehead, Somerset, with her children.

From BBC • Jul. 10, 2026

She didn’t push, and we drove home to the sound of the wipers wiping away the misty fog that was rolling along the ground.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam