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- Dictionarydrive/drʌɪv/
verb
- 1. operate and control the direction and speed of a motor vehicle: "he got into his car and drove off" Similar operatepilotsteerhandlemanageguidedirectnavigatetravel by cargo by carmotorinformal:travel on wheelstool alongbowl alongspinOpposite walk
- ▪ (of a motor vehicle) travel under the control of a driver: "a car drives up, and a man gets out"
- ▪ operate and control the direction and speed of a (motor vehicle, train, etc.): "I drove the truck back to New York"
- ▪ own or use (a specified type of car): "Sue drives an estate car"
- ▪ be licensed or competent to drive a motor vehicle: "I take it you can drive?"
- ▪ convey (someone) in a vehicle, especially a private car: "his wife drove him to Regent's Park" Similar chauffeurrungive someone a lifttakebringferrytransportconveycarry
- 2. propel or carry along by force in a specified direction: "the wind will drive you onshore" Similar powerpropelmovepush
- ▪ (of wind, rain, or snow) move or fall with great force: "the snow drove against him"
- ▪ force (a stake or nail) into place by hitting or pushing it: "nails are driven through the boards" Similar hammerscrewrambangpoundsinkplungethruststabpropelknocksend
- ▪ bore (a tunnel): "an engineer suggested driving a tunnel through the hills"
- 3. urge or force (animals or people) to move in a specified direction: "they drove a flock of sheep through the centre of the city" Similar impelurgepressmoveget goingherdround-upshepherd
- 4. (of a source of power) provide the energy to set and keep (an engine or piece of machinery) in motion: "a two-litre engine drives the front wheels"
- ▪ (of a device) power or operate (another device): "the interface can be used to drive a printer"
- 5. (of a fact or feeling) compel (someone) to act in a particular way, especially one that is considered undesirable or inappropriate: "he was driven by ambition" Similar forcecompelconstrainimpelpresspromptprecipitatecatapultobligecoercemakepressuregoadspurprod
- ▪ bring (someone) forcibly into a specified negative state: "the thought drove him to despair"
- ▪ force (someone) to work to an excessive extent: "you're driving yourself too hard" Similar workexertpushtaxoverworkovertaxoverburden
- ▪ cause (something abstract) to happen or develop: "the consumer has been driving the economy for a number of years"
- 6. (in ball games) hit or kick (the ball) hard with a free swing of the bat, racket, or foot: "from the free kick Owen drove the ball past the keeper"
- ▪ strike (a ball) from the tee, typically with a driver: "I'm driving the ball really well and my irons are good"
noun
- 1. a trip or journey in a car: "they went for a drive in the country" Similar excursionoutingtripjaunttourturnriderunjourneyhurlinformal:spinjoyride
- 2. a short road leading from a public road to a house or other building: "from the window he could see right down the weedy drive to the front gate" Similar drivewayapproachaccess roadroadroadwayavenue
- ▪ a street or road: "Hammond Drive"
- 3. an innate, biologically determined urge to attain a goal or satisfy a need: "emotional and sexual drives" Similar urgeappetitedesireneedimpulseinstinct
- ▪ determination and ambition to achieve something: "his drive helped Leeds to four Cup finals" Similar motivationambitionpushsingle-mindednesswill powerdedicationdoggednesstenacityenterpriseinitiativeenthusiasmzealcommitmentaggressionaggressivenessforcefulnessspiritenergyvigourvervevitalitylivelinessvimpepinformal:get-up-and-gozippizzazzpunchOpposite inertia
- 4. an organized effort by a number of people to achieve a purpose: "a recruitment drive by the police" Similar campaigncrusademovementeffortpushsurgeappeal
- ▪ an organized gathering to play whist or another game, involving many players: British "a whist drive" Similar tournamentcompetitioncontesteventmatch
- 5. the transmission of power to machinery or to the wheels of a motor vehicle: "he experimented with chain drive to run the propeller"
- ▪ (in a car with automatic transmission) the position of the gear selector in which the car will move forward, changing gears automatically as required: "he threw the car into drive"
- ▪ short for disk drive
- 6. (in ball games) a forceful stroke made with a free swing of the bat, racket, or foot against the ball: "a hard drive to left field"
- ▪ a shot from the tee: "Greg hit a good drive at the 18th"
- 7. an act of driving a group of animals to a particular destination: "cattle were no longer taken on long drives, but were delivered by rail"
Word Origin Old Englishdrīfan ‘urge (a person or animal) to go forward’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch drijven and German treiben.
Scrabble Points: 9
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