1
2
3
as in to push
to apply force to (someone or something) so that it moves in front of one
drove the plunger into the opening
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to force
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
the corrupt governor was driven out of office
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to activate
to cause to function
machinery driven by waterpower
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6
as in to move
to set or keep in motion
this motor drives the gears, which then turn the shaft
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in to travel
to proceed or move quickly
the runner drove past the finish line and then came to a dead stop
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in road
a passage cleared for public vehicular travel
raced our motorcycles along the drive
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2
as in campaign
a series of activities undertaken to achieve a goal
a fund-raising drive for the school's marching band
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3
as in desire
a strong wish for something
a drive to succeed in the television news business
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in energy
active strength of body or mind
senior citizens who exercise regularly are more likely to have the drive to keep up with their grandchildren
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5
as in ambition
readiness to engage in daring or difficult activity
a great opportunity for a sales representative who is full of drive
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of drive
Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025
And with only two teammates available, Vandersloot couldn’t lean on the facilitating psyche that always has driven her style of play.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar. 2025
Umar Shakir, The Verge, 7 Feb. 2023
As part of the drive for efficiency, NHS managers were pressured to keep bed vacancies low.
—David Luhnow, WSJ, 6 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for drive
Verb
Their attacks on various shipping vessels throughout the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden—targeting American and allied ships—have driven up freight and insurance costs and forced some vessels to take long detours.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025
And with only two teammates available, Vandersloot couldn’t lean on the facilitating psyche that always has driven her style of play.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 15 Mar. 2025
Noun
Details sent to the company included the health and read / write values of the drive using CrystalDiskInfo, which is a program that can read the SMART data embedded in most hard disks.
—Umar Shakir, The Verge, 7 Feb. 2023
As part of the drive for efficiency, NHS managers were pressured to keep bed vacancies low.
—David Luhnow, WSJ, 6 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for drive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drive
Verb
-
Hardman, who played collegiately at Georgia, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.33 seconds at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine.—
Rob Reischel,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
-
Jacob Wong heads up the Hong Kong International Film Festival Industry Office, the organization that coordinates such initiatives as the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF), which runs as a Filmart sidebar.—
Clifford Coonan,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2025
Verb
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This season, led by first-time All-Star Cade Cunningham and Coach of the Year candidate J.B. Bickerstaff, the Pistons have motored to the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference.—
Jason Clinkscales,
Sportico.com,
12 Mar. 2025
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The wheels can motor along at up to 5 m/s (11 mph), and the hot-swap dual-battery setup is reckoned good for 3 hours between fast-charge top-ups – or a range of 15 km (over 9 miles).—
Paul Ridden,
New Atlas,
1 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Brianna had been in a giddy mood, pushing up against Cassidy, laughing, stumbling, holding out her iPhone to take a selfie of the two of them, dishevelled and flush-faced.—
Joyce Carol Oates,
The New Yorker,
16 Mar. 2025
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The Council was founded just after World War I. It was initially focused on pushing back against isolationism and underscoring the importance of U.S. engagement in the world.—
Edward Felsenthal,
TIME,
16 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The issue, which involved test-takers being cut off early or forced to reboot during the exam, has sparked outrage and raised questions about the fairness of the College Board’s response.—
Scott White,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
-
This year, the universe seems to have similar plans, with the L.A. wildfires forcing her to slow down again.—
Meagan Jordan,
Rolling Stone,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency recently issued a joint advisory warning that two-factor authentication needed to be activated for all webmail and VPN accounts as a matter of urgency.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
-
New users can sign up through our links to activate this welcome offer in time for second round action over the weekend.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The younger Reza grew increasingly involved in the family business as Alexandre’s illness progressed and took it over in 2020, moving operations to New York City.—
Paige Reddinger,
Robb Report,
22 Mar. 2025
-
But the Supreme Court is increasingly skeptical of regulatory power and curbed that authority in June 2024, ruling against the Biden administration and moving the interpretation of laws back squarely toward the courts.—
Bart Jansen,
USA TODAY,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
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In the seventeenth century, for example, people of all classes made pilgrimages to temples and shrines, visited hot springs for health reasons, and traveled to see the sights of the country.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
23 Mar. 2025
-
If any of the men in black and white lacked motivation, the merest glances to the fans who’d traveled in their droves from the North-east would refuel them in an instant.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
New York has completed the first leg of its road back-to-back.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
20 Mar. 2025
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Following the release of Hot, the girl group is set to hit the road on the Easy Crazy Hot tour beginning next month in Incheon, South Korea before heading to several countries throughout Asia, with North American dates expected to take place in September.—
Nicole Fell,
The Hollywood Reporter,
19 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drive. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.
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