drove

[drohv]

See more synonyms for drove on Thesaurus.com

verb

simple past tense of drive.

drove

[drohv]

noun

a number of oxen, sheep, or swine driven in a group; herd; flock.
Usually droves. a large crowd of human beings, especially in motion: They came to Yankee Stadium in droves.
Also called drove chisel. Masonry. a chisel, from 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) broad at the edge, for dressing stones to an approximately true surface.

verb (used with or without object), droved, drov·ing.

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

Origin of drove

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

Synonyms for drove

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1. See flock¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for droves

throng, horde, run, crowd, rout, drive, collection, herd, crush, swarm, press, mob, flock, company, multitude, pack

Examples from the Web for droves

Contemporary Examples of droves

The result is that drone operators are leaving the Air Force in droves.
Exclusive: U.S. Drone Fleet at ‘Breaking Point,’ Air Force Says
Dave Majumdar
January 5, 2015
British aristocrats married American heiresses in droves in the early 1900s.
The Real-Life ‘Downton’ Millionairesses Who Changed Britain
Tim Teeman
December 31, 2014
Despite the long-existing travel ban, Americans have already been visiting Cuba by the droves.
Up To Speed: The Cuba Embargo
Nina Strochlic
December 18, 2014
Shoppers from Mainland China arrived in droves, and gained front row seats to civil disobedience in action.
Chinese Tourists Are Taking Hong Kong Protest Selfies
Brendon Hong
October 23, 2014
He would need professional assistance, which came in droves.
Victor Mooney’s Epic Adventure for His Dead Brother
Justin Jones
October 19, 2014

Historical Examples of droves

Quail ran in droves and rose among the mesas like young thunder.
The Trail Book
Mary Austin
In they come of course, droves of them, and then I arrive and take the money.
The Stark Munro Letters
J. Stark Munro
And, worst of all, there were no droves of cattle tearing around.
The Night Riders
Ridgwell Cullum
They are pouring in here in droves; some are on their way to Italy.
Erasmus and the Age of Reformation
Johan Huizinga
I should imagine that he was often amazed that men did not join in droves.
The Shellback's Progress
Walter Runciman

British Dictionary definitions for droves

drove

verb

the past tense of drive

drove

noun

a herd of livestock being driven together
(often plural) a moving crowd of people
a narrow irrigation channel
Also called: drove chisel a chisel with a broad edge used for dressing stone

verb

1. (tr)to drive (a group of livestock), usually for a considerable distance
2. (intr)to be employed as a drover
to work (a stone surface) with a drove

Word Origin for drove

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for droves

see drove.

drove

Old English draf "beasts driven in a body, road along which cattle are driven," originally "act of driving," from drifan "to drive" (see drive (v.)).

drove

Old English draf, past tense and obsolete past participle of drive (v.).