drifted

verb

Definition of driftednext
past tense of drift
1
as in flowed
to move or proceed smoothly and readily casual conversation drifting from one topic to another

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hovered
to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air the boat drifted along on the current

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in wandered
to move about from place to place aimlessly spent several years drifting from town to town, picking up odd jobs whenever he needed cash

Synonyms & Similar Words

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drifted
  1. hovered
  2. wandered
  3. floated
  4. roamed
  5. slipped
  6. swept
Verb
  • Average temperatures hovered near 60 degrees, roughly four degrees above normal.
    John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Unusual phenomena have been linked to the sightings, including a family's report of their car clock changing while a drone hovered overhead.
    Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
Definition of hovered
Verb
  • The suspect wandered around the vicinity of the Hilton Hotel.
    Rachel Dobkin, Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2024
  • One in a while, a veteran wandered or fell onto the trolley tracks and didn’t hear or chose not to hear the warning clang of the bell of an approaching train.
    Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
Definition of wandered
Verb
  • Patrick then floated the idea of the film being ready to release on Fourth of July weekend.
    J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 10 Dec. 2024
  • One longtime league executive believes that was a sign the Bears at least have floated the idea internally.
    Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 9 Dec. 2024
Definition of floated
Verb
  • By measuring the distribution of carbon and nitrogen isotopes in the child’s tissues, the study authors then compared the profile to other animals that roamed during that time.
    Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Dec. 2024
  • The Endangered Species Act allowed wolves to reemerge Wolves once roamed across all of North America.
    Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 6 Dec. 2024
Definition of roamed
Verb
  • The e-commerce stock slipped 3% following a downgrade to underperform from hold at Jefferies.
    Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 10 Dec. 2024
  • The National Team appeared to buy their favorite ETFs, as the Mainland market slipped into the mid-day lunch break.
    Brendan Ahern, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
Definition of slipped
Verb
  • The sudden turbulence swept organic matter from the pupfish's critical spawning shelf into the depths of the cavern, which extends over 500 feet.
    Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
  • While police investigated, the high school was placed on lockdown and about 50 officers swept the school buildings.
    Keri Heath, Austin American-Statesman, 10 Dec. 2024
Definition of swept
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near drifted

drift

drifted

drifter

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Cite this Entry

“Drifted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drifted. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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More from Merriam-Webster on drifted

Nglish: Translation of drifted for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of drifted for Arabic Speakers

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