drive

[ drahyv ]

verb (used with object)

, drove [drohv] or (Archaic) drave [dreyv], driv·en [driv, -, uh, n], driv·ing.

1. 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: force, push

2. to cause and guide the movement of (a vehicle, an animal, etc.): to drive a mule.

   to drive a car;

   to drive a mule.

3. to convey in a vehicle:

   She drove them to the station.

4. to force to work or act:

   He drove the workers until they collapsed.

5. to impel; constrain; urge; compel.
6. to carry (business, an agreement, etc.) vigorously through:

   He drove a hard bargain.

7. to keep (machinery) going.
8. Baseball.
   1. to cause the advance of (a base runner) by hitting a fair ball:

      Another blast off of Miller’s bat drives Rojas from first base all the way to third.

   2. to cause (a run) to be scored by hitting a fair ball:

      She drove in two runs in the sixth inning.

9. 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.

10. Sports.
    1. to hit or propel (a ball, puck, shuttlecock, etc.) very hard.
    2. to kick (a ball) with much force.
11. Hunting.
    1. to chase (game).
    2. to search (a district) for game.
12. to float (logs) down a river or stream.
13. (in mining, construction, etc.) to excavate (a mine or tunnel heading).

verb (used without object)

, drove [drohv] or (Archaic) drave [dreyv], driv·en [driv, -, uh, n], driv·ing.

1. to cause and guide the movement of a vehicle or animal, especially to operate an automobile.
2. to go or travel in a driven vehicle:

   He drives to work with me.

3. 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.

4. to strive vigorously toward a goal or objective; to work, play, or try wholeheartedly and with determination.
5. to go along before an impelling force; be impelled:

   The ship drove before the wind.

6. to rush or dash violently.

noun

1. the act of driving.
2. a trip in a vehicle, especially a short pleasure trip:

   a Sunday drive in the country.

3. an impelling along, as of game, cattle, or floating logs, in a particular direction.
4. the animals, logs, etc., thus driven.
5. Psychology. an inner urge that stimulates activity or inhibition; a basic or instinctive need: sex drive.

   the hunger drive;

   sex drive.

6. a vigorous onset or onward course toward a goal or objective:

   the drive toward the goal line.

7. a strong military offensive.
8. a united effort to accomplish some specific purpose, especially to raise money, as for a charity.
9. energy and initiative:

   a person with great drive.

   Synonyms: motivation, ambition, push

10. vigorous pressure or effort, as in business.
11. a road for vehicles, especially a scenic one, as in or along a park, or a short one, as an approach to a house.
12. Machinery. a driving mechanism, as of an automobile: chain drive.

    gear drive;

    chain drive.

13. Automotive. the point or points of power application to the roadway: four-wheel drive.

    front-wheel drive;

    four-wheel drive.

14. Computers. a storage device, as a flash drive, HDD, or SSD.
15. Sports.
    1. an act or instance of driving a ball, puck, shuttlecock, or the like.
    2. the flight of such a ball, puck, shuttlecock, or the like, that has been driven with much force.
16. Golf. a shot, especially with a driver or driving iron from the tee, that is intended to carry a great distance.
17. a hunt in which game is driven toward stationary hunters.
18. Electronics. excitation ( def 5 ).

adjective

1. noting or pertaining to a part of a machine or vehicle used for its propulsion.

verb phrase

1. to attempt or intend to convey; allude to; suggest:

   What are you driving at?

drive

/ draɪv /

verb

1. to push, propel, or be pushed or propelled
2. to control and guide the movement of (a vehicle, draught animal, etc)

   to drive a car

3. tr to compel or urge to work or act, esp excessively
4. tr to goad or force into a specified attitude or state

   work drove him to despair

5. tr to cause (an object) to make or form (a hole, crack, etc)

   his blow drove a hole in the wall

6. to move or cause to move rapidly by striking or throwing with force
7. sport to hit (a ball) very hard and straight, as (in cricket) with the bat swinging more or less vertically
8. golf to strike (the ball) with a driver, as in teeing off
9. tr
   1. to chase (game) from cover into more open ground
   2. to search (an area) for game
10. to transport or be transported in a driven vehicle
11. intr to rush or dash violently, esp against an obstacle or solid object

    the waves drove against the rock

12. tr to carry through or transact with vigour (esp in the phrase drive a hard bargain )
13. tr to force (a component) into or out of its location by means of blows or a press
14. tr mining to excavate horizontally
15. tr to fell (a tree or trees) by the impact of another felled tree
16. drive home
    1. to cause to penetrate to the fullest extent
    2. to make clear by special emphasis

noun

1. the act of driving
2. a trip or journey in a driven vehicle
3. 1. a road for vehicles, esp a private road leading to a house
   2. ( capital when part of a street name )

      Woodland Drive

4. vigorous or urgent pressure, as in business
5. a united effort, esp directed towards a common goal

   a charity drive

6. a large gathering of persons to play cards, etc See beetle drive whist drive
7. energy, ambition, or initiative
8. psychol a motive or interest, such as sex, hunger, or ambition, that actuates an organism to attain a goal
9. a sustained and powerful military offensive
10. 1. the means by which force, torque, motion, or power is transmitted in a mechanism

       fluid drive

    2. ( as modifier )

       a drive shaft

11. sport a hard straight shot or stroke
12. a search for and chasing of game towards waiting guns
13. electronics the signal applied to the input of an amplifier

Derived Forms

• ˌdrivaˈbility, noun
• ˈdrivable, adjective

Other Words From

• driv·a·ble drive·a·ble adjective
• non·driv·a·ble adjective
• non·drive·a·ble adjective
• pre·drive verb predrove predriven predriving
• re·drive verb redrove redriven redriving
• un·driv·a·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of drive¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English drīven, Old English drīfan; cognate with Dutch drijven, Old Norse drīfa, Gothic dreiban, German treiben

Word History and Origins

Origin of drive¹

Old English drīfan; related to Old Frisian drīva, Old Norse drīfa, Gothic dreiban, Old High German trīban

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. let drive, to aim a blow or missile at; attack:

   He let drive at his pursuers.

Synonym Study

Drive, ride are used interchangeably to mean traveling in an automobile or, formerly, in a horse-drawn vehicle. These two words are not synonyms in other connections. To drive is to maneuver, guide, or steer the progress of a vehicle, animal, etc.: to drive a bus, a horse. To ride is to be carried about by an animal or be carried as a passenger in a vehicle: to ride a horse, a train, a bus.

Example Sentences

He would be a regular visitor to her home in Frosterley Drive in Darlington, Mr Lumley said, with him first meeting Charlie in March.

From BBC

The intensifying economic and environmental pressures of the warming climate are now beginning to drive new wedges into old divisions.

From Salon

Deforestation and flooding in Bangladesh, the collapse of Black Sea fisheries, the desertification of sub-Saharan Africa and “a nearly endless list” of other issues, he said, would drive human migration.

From Salon

“The climate is certainly changing,” he had told me when we’d first arranged to meet, and “it will certainly drive immigration.”

From Salon

Economists have warned that such tariffs could drive up consumer prices as companies pass on higher costs, potentially worsening inflation and putting further interest rate cuts on hold.

From Salon

Related Words

• cruise
• drag
• fly
• guide
• operate
• propel
• push
• ride
• run
• send
• speed
• spin
• start
• steer
• transport
• travel
• turn