drive

1 of 2

verb

ˈdrīv 

drove ˈdrōv  ; driven ˈdri-vən  ; driving ˈdrī-viŋ  ; drives

transitive verb

1

a

: to frighten or prod (game, cattle, etc.) into moving in a desired direction

drive cattle across the prairie

b

hunting : to go through (an area) driving game animals

drive the other side of the mountain

2

: to carry on or through energetically

drives a hard bargain

3

a

: to impart a forward motion to by physical force

Waves drove the boat ashore.

drive the nail into the beam

b

: to repulse, remove, or cause to go by force, authority, or influence

drive the enemy back

c

: to set or keep in motion or operation

drive machinery by electricity

d

basketball : to move quickly and forcefully down or along

drive the lane

drive the baseline

4

a

: to direct the motions and course of (a draft animal)

drive an ox

b

: to operate the mechanism and controls and direct the course of (a vehicle)

drive a car

c

: to convey in a vehicle

His father drove me home.

d

: to float (logs) down a stream

5

a

: to exert inescapable or coercive pressure on : force

driven by his passions

b

: to compel to undergo or suffer a change (as in situation or emotional state)

The constant noise drove us batty.

The competition drove them out of business.

see also drive (someone) bananas, drive (someone) nuts,drive (someone) up the wall

c

: to urge relentlessly to continuous exertion

the sergeant drove his recruits

d

: to press or force into an activity, course, or direction

Ambition drives them to succeed.

e

: to project, inject, or impress incisively

drove her point home

6

mining : to force (a passage) by pressing or digging

drive a tunnel

7

a

: to propel (an object of play) swiftly or forcefully

drove a long fly ball to the warning track

b

golf : to hit (a ball) from the tee especially with a driver (see driver sense f)

drove the ball down the fairway

also : to drive a golf ball onto (a green)

c

baseball : to cause (a run or runner) to be scored (see score entry 2 sense 4a(2))

—usually used with in

drove him in with a single

8

: to give shape or impulse to

factors that drive the business cycle

the ideas that have driven history

intransitive verb

1

a

: to dash, plunge, or surge ahead rapidly or violently

rudely drove past her

b

: to progress with strong momentum

the rain was driving hard

c

basketball : to make a quick and forceful move

driving to the hoop

2

a

: to operate a vehicle

learned to drive at the age of seventeen

b

: to have oneself carried in a vehicle

drove to Canada as a kid

3

golf : to drive a golf ball

drove down the fairway

drive

2 of 2

noun

plural drives

often attributive

1

: an act of driving:

a

: a trip in a carriage or automobile

a short drive to the coast

b

: an instance of collecting and moving animals (such as game or cattle) together in a desired direction

also : the animals gathered and driven (see drive entry 1 sense transitive 1a)

c

: a driving of cattle or sheep overland

d

: a hunt or shoot in which the game is driven within the hunter's range

e

: the guiding of logs downstream to a mill

also : the floating logs amassed in a drive

f(1)

: the act or an instance of propelling an object of play (such as a golf ball) swiftly or forcefully

(2)

: the flight of a ball

a high drive to left field

2

a

: a private road : driveway

b

: a public road for driving (as in a park)

3

: the state of being hurried and under pressure

elude the ruthless drive of work and worry

—S. H. Adams

4

a

: a strong systematic group effort

a fund-raising drive

The school held a food drive [=an event to collect food items for donation] to benefit the local shelter.

b

: a sustained offensive (see offensive entry 1 sense 1) effort

the drive ended in a touchdown

5

a

mechanical engineering : the means for giving motion to a machine or machine part

b

: the means by which the propulsive power of an automobile is applied to the road

front wheel drive

c

: the means by which the propulsion of an automotive vehicle is controlled and directed

a left-hand drive

6

a

: an offensive, aggressive, or expansionist move

especially : a strong military attack against enemy-held terrain

b

basketball : a quick and aggressive move toward the basket

7

a

biology : an urgent, basic, or instinctual need : a motivating physiological condition of an organism

a sexual drive

b

: an impelling culturally acquired concern, interest, or longing

the drive to succeed

c

: dynamic quality

his drive and enthusiasm overcame all obstacles

—Times Literary Supplement

8

computers : a device for reading or writing on magnetic, optical, or electronic media (such as tapes, disks, or flash memory)

broadly : memory sense 4

… the disk defragmenter doesn't just defrag a given drive…

—Barry Brenesal

see also hard drive

Phrases

drive at

: to intend to express, convey, or accomplish

couldn't understand what she was driving at

Synonyms

Verb

• herd
• punch
• run

Noun

• arterial
• artery
• avenue
• boulevard
• carriageway [British]
• drag
• expressway
• freeway
• high road
• highway
• pass
• pike
• road
• roadway
• route
• row
• street
• thoroughfare
• thruway
• trace
• turnpike
• way

Choose the Right Synonym for drive

move, actuate, drive, impel mean to set or keep in motion.

move is very general and implies no more than the fact of changing position.

moved the furniture

actuate stresses transmission of power so as to work or set in motion.

turbines actuated by waterpower

drive implies imparting forward and continuous motion and often stresses the effect rather than the impetus.

a ship driven aground by hurricane winds

impel is usually figurative and suggests a great motivating impetus.

a candidate impelled by ambition

Examples of drive in a Sentence

Verb

He drove the car down a bumpy road.

Do you want to drive or should I?

He is learning to drive.

The car stopped and then drove off.

A car drove by us slowly.

The bus slowly drove away.

We drove all night and arrived at dawn.

We drove 160 miles to get here.

I drive on this route every day.

I drive this route every day.

Noun

It's a two-hour drive to the beach.

Her house is an hour's drive east of Los Angeles.

We took a pleasant drive in the country.

Would you like to go for a drive?

A white car was parked in the drive.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Slice has released exclusive apps that accommodate popular contactless payment solutions and enable convenient QR technology to drive self-service experiences among other improvements. —Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024

While American tech giants have driven much of the country’s recent innovation, the future doesn’t lie in further consolidating power in the hands of Big Tech. —Steve Forbes, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024

Noun

One of drive, skill, and physicality, and the two midfielders both possess the engine to return to their defensive positions quickly when needed. —James Nalton, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2023

Potentially more significant are subsidies paid to companies that manufacture batteries in the United States, part of a drive by the Biden administration to establish a domestic supply chain and reduce dependence on China. —Jack Ewing, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Old English drīfan; akin to Old High German trīban to drive

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1685, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing drive

• all-wheel drive
• co-drive
• disk drive
• drive a hard bargain
• drive away
• drive a wedge between
• drive-by
• drive-in
• drive off
• drive one batty
• drive oneself
• drive one's point home
• drive out
• drive (someone) bananas
• drive (someone) mad
• drive (someone) nuts
• drive (someone) to an early grave
• drive someone to drink
• drive (someone) up a wall
• drive (someone) up the wall
• drive someone wild
• drive-through
• drive-thru
• drive time
• drive under the influence
• drive-up
• drive you bananas
• drive you batty
• flash drive
• four-wheel drive
• friction drive
• front-wheel drive
• hard drive
• line drive
• pile drive
• rear-wheel drive
• self-drive
• sex drive
• test-drive
• thumb drive

Kids Definition

drive

1 of 2 verb

ˈdrīv 

drove ˈdrōv  ; driven ˈdriv-ən  ; driving ˈdrī-viŋ 

1

a

: to urge, push, or force onward

drive cattle

waves drove the boat ashore

b

: to cause to penetrate with force

drive a nail

2

a

: to direct the movement or course of (as a vehicle or animals drawing a vehicle)

b

: to move or transport in a vehicle

his father drove me home

3

: to set or keep in motion

drive machinery by electricity

4

: to carry through strongly

drive a bargain

5

a

: to force to act

driven by hunger to steal

b

: to project, inject, or impress forcefully

his last example drove the lesson home

6

: to bring into a specified condition

drove them out of business

7

: to force (a passage) by pressing or digging

8

: to move ahead rapidly or with great force

the rain was driving hard

9

a

: to hit (a ball or puck) with force

b

: to cause (a run or runner) to be scored in baseball

—usually used with in

drove in two runs

drive

2 of 2 noun

1

: an act of driving: as

a

: a trip in a carriage or automobile

b

: a driving together of animals

c

: the guiding of logs downstream to a mill

d

: the act of driving a ball

e

: the flight of a ball

2

a

: driveway

b

: a public road (as in a park) for driving

3

: a long or forceful campaign

a charity drive

4

a

: an urgent or basic need or longing

b

: energetic quality

full of drive

5

a

: the means for giving motion to a machine or machine part

a chain drive

b

: the means by which the movement of an automotive vehicle is controlled and directed

front wheel drive

6

: a device for reading or writing data (as on magnetic tape or disks)

Medical Definition

drive

noun

ˈdrīv 

1

: an urgent, basic, or instinctual need : a motivating physiological condition of the organism

a sexual drive

2

: an impelling culturally acquired concern, interest, or longing

a drive for perfection