1
as in flows
to move or proceed smoothly and readily
casual conversation drifting from one topic to another
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hovers
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 wanders
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
1
2
as in tides
a prevailing or general movement or inclination
the steady drift of the population away from large cities
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in senses
the idea that is conveyed or intended to be conveyed to the mind by language, symbol, or action
you should expect a visit from the stork, if you get my drift
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of drifts
Seth Wickersham, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2025
Modern systems analyze patterns of active work, idle stretches and meeting length in real time, giving leaders a live feed of how productivity drifts through a day.
—Kolawole Samuel Adebayo, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
The smell of 50k pumpkin donuts drifts down the street.
—Katherine Laidlaw, HubSpot, 5 Sep. 2025
The former Chelsea and Aston Villa winger offers Sunderland something slightly different in terms of being a left-footed player who drifts in from the right.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2025
The video shows the shark's dorsal fin cutting across the water before the giant fish drifts along the side of the kayak, its skin visible just below the surface.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
The cost of parties, marketing, shipping, insurance, and the decorous administration of nearly five hundred sales a year only ever drifts one way.
—Sam Knight, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
And that drifts into the mental part.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 21 Aug. 2025
But what happens if that multiple drifts downward to, say, a still elevated 25 over the next half-decade?
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 16 Aug. 2025
Joseph Freed, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
The drifts of powder, scattered by her haste, gather in the runnels of the tabletop.
—Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
Snowdrops readily naturalize and are best planted in drifts along woodland edges or under large trees.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 24 Aug. 2025
Spanish drifts along the rows, a joke here, a warning there, carried in the heavy air.
—Dean Florez, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2025
Thanks to a prescient investment in producing a promotional video for the CTR model, the world would become acquainted with Ruf through scenes of gratuitous smokey drifts on the Nurburgring, captured from a helicopter no less.
—Christian Gilbertsen, Robb Report, 12 Aug. 2025
The hazy skies and smoky smell is back — a now-annual sign of summer — as Canadian wildfire smoke drifts into our region.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
But, as always, the talk drifts toward quarterbacks, that uniquely American job with uniquely American responsibilities.
—Seth Wickersham, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2025
Modern systems analyze patterns of active work, idle stretches and meeting length in real time, giving leaders a live feed of how productivity drifts through a day.
—Kolawole Samuel Adebayo, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
The smell of 50k pumpkin donuts drifts down the street.
—Katherine Laidlaw, HubSpot, 5 Sep. 2025
The former Chelsea and Aston Villa winger offers Sunderland something slightly different in terms of being a left-footed player who drifts in from the right.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2025
The video shows the shark's dorsal fin cutting across the water before the giant fish drifts along the side of the kayak, its skin visible just below the surface.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
The cost of parties, marketing, shipping, insurance, and the decorous administration of nearly five hundred sales a year only ever drifts one way.
—Sam Knight, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
And that drifts into the mental part.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 21 Aug. 2025
But what happens if that multiple drifts downward to, say, a still elevated 25 over the next half-decade?
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 16 Aug. 2025
Noun
No one is checking whether these tools actually help people get better at their jobs or if the natural conversation with the AI drifts outside of its expertise.
—Joseph Freed, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
The drifts of powder, scattered by her haste, gather in the runnels of the tabletop.
—Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
Snowdrops readily naturalize and are best planted in drifts along woodland edges or under large trees.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 24 Aug. 2025
Spanish drifts along the rows, a joke here, a warning there, carried in the heavy air.
—Dean Florez, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2025
Thanks to a prescient investment in producing a promotional video for the CTR model, the world would become acquainted with Ruf through scenes of gratuitous smokey drifts on the Nurburgring, captured from a helicopter no less.
—Christian Gilbertsen, Robb Report, 12 Aug. 2025
The hazy skies and smoky smell is back — a now-annual sign of summer — as Canadian wildfire smoke drifts into our region.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drifts
Verb
-
An inner radiative zone (makes up 70 percent of the Sun by radius), where energy flows smoothly and the whole region spins together like a solid ball, and the outer convective zone (the remaining 30 percent), where hot gases swirl chaotically and spin at different speeds depending on location.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
-
And just like historical colonialism, this influence flows primarily in one direction – from powerful tech companies to the rest of us.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Support for universal background checks usually hovers around 90 percent in public opinion polls.—
John J. Donohue,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Officially, the prison can hold just over a thousand inmates, though its population often hovers well below that.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Anthony Mackie plays himself as a self-serious star making a deeply personal, awards-bait movie, whereas Dave Franco wanders around drunk and high on weed and mushrooms.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
-
As one wanders out into a field, rod in hand, ready for the twitch.—
Leila Chatti
September 5,
Literary Hub,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
There are mounds of commentary on Marlowe—historical, biographical, critical, and wildly fantastical—and all sorts of reasons to add to the heap.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Summer's berry bounties and mounds of melons are fleeting.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
31 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Thanks to this description of the relationships between these elements, Newton was able to explain a number of phenomena, such as the shape of the planets’ orbits, how the Moon causes the Earth’s tides, and why comets appear and disappear from the sky.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Usually, there’s one day where tides are the highest, and tides slowly build up — and then back down — from that peak.—
Alex Harris,
Miami Herald,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Just as nice, though, is how this gentle creamy cleanser still suds up to a satisfying lather, leaving your limbs—and your senses—feeling refreshed.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Focus on indulging in your senses.—
Kyle Thomas,
PEOPLE,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Akerman turns the youths’ judgmental sociology into a romantic rhapsody with a shot that glides forward, from a wide view of Michèle and Paul submerged in a crowd to a tight double closeup of the two kissing.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Curie’s clean deodorant nourishes and protects the skin with a moisturizing, non-greasy formula that glides on smoothly without residue or irritation.—
Kristen Philipkoski,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Warren floats somewhere in the mix — anywhere between the hashes.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Nostalgia floats through the air as ’90s R&B fills the dining room.—
The Bon Appétit Staff,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drifts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drifts. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share