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

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

Casting for maximum drama is a driving force in many reality shows.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 21, 2026

Indian firms will be a key driving force, with Dr Reddy's Laboratories aiming to launch its version of semaglutide in Canada by May 2026.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

He remains the driving force of the Invictus Games, which started with veterans, including some injured on the same tour as the prince.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

In the spring of 1838, as Darwin tore into a new journal—the maroon C notebook—he had more thoughts on the nature of this driving force.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee