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drive
[ drahyv ]
verb (used with object)
- to send, expel, or otherwise cause to move by force or compulsion: to drive back an attacking army;
to drive away the flies;
to drive back an attacking army;
to drive a person to desperation.
Synonyms: ,
- to cause and guide the movement of (a vehicle, an animal, etc.): to drive a mule.
to drive a car;
to drive a mule.
- to convey in a vehicle:
She drove them to the station.
- to force to work or act:
He drove the workers until they collapsed.
- to carry (business, an agreement, etc.) vigorously through:
He drove a hard bargain.
- to keep (machinery) going.
- Baseball.
- Golf. to hit (a golf ball), especially from the tee, as with a driver or driving iron:
She drove the ball within ten feet of the pin.
- Sports.
- to hit or propel (a ball, puck, shuttlecock, etc.) very hard.
- to kick (a ball) with much force.
- Hunting.
- to chase (game).
- to search (a district) for game.
- to float (logs) down a river or stream.
- (in mining, construction, etc.) to excavate (a mine or tunnel heading).
verb (used without object)
- to cause and guide the movement of a vehicle or animal, especially to operate an automobile.
- to go or travel in a driven vehicle:
He drives to work with me.
- Golf. to hit a golf ball, especially from the tee, as with a driver or driving iron:
He drove long and straight throughout the match.
- to strive vigorously toward a goal or objective; to work, play, or try wholeheartedly and with determination.
- to go along before an impelling force; be impelled:
The ship drove before the wind.
- to rush or dash violently.
noun
- the act of driving.
- a trip in a vehicle, especially a short pleasure trip:
a Sunday drive in the country.
- an impelling along, as of game, cattle, or floating logs, in a particular direction.
- the animals, logs, etc., thus driven.
- Psychology. an inner urge that stimulates activity or inhibition; a basic or instinctive need: sex drive.
the hunger drive;
sex drive.
- a vigorous onset or onward course toward a goal or objective:
the drive toward the goal line.
- a strong military offensive.
- a united effort to accomplish some specific purpose, especially to raise money, as for a charity.
- energy and initiative:
a person with great drive.
Synonyms: , ,
- vigorous pressure or effort, as in business.
- a road for vehicles, especially a scenic one, as in or along a park, or a short one, as an approach to a house.
- Machinery. a driving mechanism, as of an automobile: chain drive.
gear drive;
chain drive.
- Automotive. the point or points of power application to the roadway: four-wheel drive.
front-wheel drive;
four-wheel drive.
- Sports.
- an act or instance of driving a ball, puck, shuttlecock, or the like.
- the flight of such a ball, puck, shuttlecock, or the like, that has been driven with much force.
- Golf. a shot, especially with a driver or driving iron from the tee, that is intended to carry a great distance.
- a hunt in which game is driven toward stationary hunters.
- Electronics. excitation ( def 5 ).
adjective
- noting or pertaining to a part of a machine or vehicle used for its propulsion.
verb phrase
- to attempt or intend to convey; allude to; suggest:
What are you driving at?
drive
/ ɪ /
verb
- to push, propel, or be pushed or propelled
- to control and guide the movement of (a vehicle, draught animal, etc)
to drive a car
- tr to compel or urge to work or act, esp excessively
- tr to goad or force into a specified attitude or state
work drove him to despair
- tr to cause (an object) to make or form (a hole, crack, etc)
his blow drove a hole in the wall
- to move or cause to move rapidly by striking or throwing with force
- sport to hit (a ball) very hard and straight, as (in cricket) with the bat swinging more or less vertically
- golf to strike (the ball) with a driver, as in teeing off
- tr
- to chase (game) from cover into more open ground
- to search (an area) for game
- to transport or be transported in a driven vehicle
- intr to rush or dash violently, esp against an obstacle or solid object
the waves drove against the rock
- tr to carry through or transact with vigour (esp in the phrase drive a hard bargain )
- tr to force (a component) into or out of its location by means of blows or a press
- tr mining to excavate horizontally
- tr to fell (a tree or trees) by the impact of another felled tree
- drive home
- to cause to penetrate to the fullest extent
- to make clear by special emphasis
noun
- the act of driving
- a trip or journey in a driven vehicle
- a road for vehicles, esp a private road leading to a house
- ( capital when part of a street name )
Woodland Drive
- vigorous or urgent pressure, as in business
- a united effort, esp directed towards a common goal
a charity drive
- a large gathering of persons to play cards, etc See beetle drive whist drive
- energy, ambition, or initiative
- psychol a motive or interest, such as sex, hunger, or ambition, that actuates an organism to attain a goal
- a sustained and powerful military offensive
- the means by which force, torque, motion, or power is transmitted in a mechanism
fluid drive
- ( as modifier )
a drive shaft
- sport a hard straight shot or stroke
- a search for and chasing of game towards waiting guns
- electronics the signal applied to the input of an amplifier
Derived Forms
- ˌˈٲ, noun
- ˈ, adjective
Other 51Թ Forms
- ·· ·· adjective
- non··· adjective
- non··· adjective
- · verb predrove predriven predriving
- · verb redrove redriven redriving
- un··· adjective
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of drive1
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of drive1
Idioms and Phrases
- let drive, to aim a blow or missile at; attack:
He let drive at his pursuers.
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
One local holiday let owner said he saw Robbie driving a tractor with her co-star - although the agricultural vehicles were not invented until the late 19th Century.
On a quick drive around the small Ohio town of Delta, you can spot nearly as many Trump flags as American stars-and-stripes banners.
When she was five, her gran took her to live in Stranraer in south-west Scotland, about two hours' drive from her home in Glasgow.
And as influential left-wing YouTubers similarly rally anti-Yoon protesters, there are also concerns that political differences are being driven ever deeper into the fabric of South Korea's society.
"I started getting a couple of fines, and I was young and had just started driving, so I would pay them because I was scared," said Miss Robinson, from Stockton-on-Tees.
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Related 51Թs
More About Drive
What does drive mean?
To drive is to cause and guide something that is moving, such as a car.
To drive is also to cause to move forward by force, as when you drive flies away from your plate.
Other senses of the verb drive describe moving something or someone, literally or figuratively. You can drive a hard bargain (make a good deal), drive yourself to exhaustion (work yourself too hard), drive a nail into a board (hit the nail into the board), and more.
The noun drive also has many senses, related to the verb senses. A drive can be a trip in a vehicle, an inborn drive (push or urge) to succeed, and the act of driving a vehicle.
Drive is also commonly used in sports, such as a drive on the golf course (a swing of the golf club, sending the ball a long way) and to drive (kick or propel) a ball down the sports field.
Example: Drive down to the shop and ask for an application.
Where does drive come from?
The first records of the term drive come from before the 900s. It ultimately comes from the Old English īڲ. Drive is used in many verb phrases of unknown origin, but the words associated with it sometimes drastically change its meaning.
Another common use of drive refers to computer storage devices, such as a flash drive, hard drive, and a solid-state drive.
Did you know … ?
What are some other forms related to drive?
- drivability (noun)
- driver (noun)
- nondrivable (adjective)
- undrivable (adjective)
What are some synonyms for drive?
What are some words that share a root or word element with drive?
What are some words that often get used in discussing drive?
How is drive used in real life?
Drive is a common word with several meanings. It’s frequently used to discuss guiding a vehicle.
Can’t decide between a midnight blue minivan with all wheel drive and foldable rear seats or a coffin.
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds)
You’re not a firework, don’t drive lit. Happy fourth everyone 🇺🇸
— marshmello (@marshmellomusic)
Hopefully that’s the swing Craw needed to get rolling! Always love the way he can drive the ball with power to CF and LF!
— George Kontos (@G_Kontos)
Try using drive!
Which of the following can you drive?
A. vehicle
B. argument
C. ball
D. all of the above
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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