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

See Examples For:

drove droves droved droving

Key details: New car sales drove much of the increase in spending last month.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

Equity concerns drove some universities across the nation to eliminate standardized testing requirements for admission.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

"We were shooting in town, and someone drove past blaring World of Our Own out of the speakers," he tells Newsbeat.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

The rapid adjustment also drove down stocks, with the S&P 500 falling as much as 8% from the start of the bond selloff.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

It drove Camille nuts, but I turned my phone volume up overnight so I wouldn’t miss a message from her.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

The goofy, R-rated “Starship Troopers” famously tanked domestically among adults, but was a notable hit among teen boys, who sneaked into the flick in droves.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026

The Los Angeles Police Department and multiple other agencies responded in droves early Saturday to reports of an illegal street takeover in the Harbor Gateway neighborhood of L.A. near Gardena.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

Their numbers increased exponentially as droves began "fleeing the Covid mess … on the East Coast and West Coast," says Mark Corner, president of Southwest Montana Realtors.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

McDonald’s and other chains have rolled out deals for the past two years, helping bring some customers back—but not in droves.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

They landed in droves around the parapet edges.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

Cattle that have been two weeks at grass may, however, be safely droved.

From Cattle and Cattle-breeders by William M'Combie

The Captain's Road, which links two droving inns, Tibbie Shiel's and Tushielaw, was one of the earliest metalled roads connecting the Ettrick and Yarrow valleys.

From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2022

The bridge across the River Rede was situated on a historic droving route used by farmers to move large numbers of sheep and cattle between England and Scotland.

From BBC ● Dec. 15, 2020

Gunbar, a dusty village with fewer than 100 people, is typical of the stops along the droving route of rutted, red dust roads.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 21, 2014

I simply drove into the subject and when it comes to droving into a subject a Durante admits no peers.

From Time Magazine Archive

It's the slowest hole in the world, and I'll chuck it and go shearing or droving.

From My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin