drove

¹

[ drohv ]

verb

1. simple past tense of drive.

drove

²

[ drohv ]

noun

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 chis·el. Masonry. a chisel, from 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) broad at the edge, for dressing stones to an approximately true surface.

verb (used with or without object)

, droved, drov·ing.

1. to drive or deal in (cattle) as a drover; herd.
2. Masonry. to work or smooth (stone) as with a drove.

drove

¹

/ 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 calleddrove chisel a chisel with a broad edge used for dressing stone

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

/ drəʊv /

verb

1. See drive
   the past tense of drive

Word History and Origins

Origin of drove¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of drove¹

Old English drāf herd; related to Middle Low German drēfwech cattle pasture; see drive , drift

Synonym Study

See flock ¹.

Example Sentences

According to the company, customers call in droves claiming that they’ve caught their biggest fish ever after spraying hooks or lures with WD40 and thus assume that the product must have fish oil in it.

From Popular-Science

Over the summer and fall, tourists came in droves to Jackson, with as many as 40,000 total visitors in a day.

From Time

Today, raw athleticism is almost a prerequisite for the position, and Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen possess it in droves.

From Washington Post

Telegram’s specific combination of features, however, make it especially popular among American right-wing extremists, who have joined the platform in droves after being kicked off of Twitter, Facebook, and Parler.

From Vox

Insurance company stocks sank in droves on the news, mirroring the shockwave Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods sent through grocery stores shares.

From Fortune

So I drove around the corner to the trailhead of the logging road that led back to the crash site.

From The Daily Beast

As he drove me back to the logging road, Frank told me about the area in his deep voice.

From The Daily Beast

A practical man who refused to run from the dreams that always drove him.

From The Daily Beast

We drove back down the hill, and the driver let me out near the Prado.

From The Daily Beast

Then the two hopped in a car and “drove around Chicago like lunatics,” Wald remembered.

From The Daily Beast

After we had engaged our rooms, we drove back to the hotel where Liszt was staying, and where we were to dine immediately.

From Project Gutenberg

Battle of Famars, in which the allies drove the French from their camp with great loss.

From Project Gutenberg

He turned the car, and passing the Casino drove up the hill, taking the direction of Mentone, when he had reached the top.

From Project Gutenberg

They gardened, they drove out, they rowed and sailed upon the lake, but they declined all acquaintances.

From Project Gutenberg

We drove to the Deutches Haus, an excellent hotel, where I was shown into a large and comfortable room.

From Project Gutenberg