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

See Examples For:

driving force

"The fact that you see this across people and animal models suggests there is an evolutionary driving force," Fernandez said.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026

It could be a last show for Saint Laurent's Belgian designer Anthony Vaccarello, who has been the driving force behind the brand's success for the past decade but is reportedly heading for the exit.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

“There are a lot of trade-offs in this project, but a driving force from the beginning is looking for opportunities for affordable housing,” Reynolds said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

If each conspiracy theory evolved from a dark mind, if human cruelty were the driving force behind all of this, there would be little hope for us.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 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

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