Word.ws English Dictionary

drift

/dɹɪft/

drift noun: anything driven at random.

Noun

drift (countable and uncountable, plural drifts)

  1. (physical) Anything driven at random.
    • Some log perhaps upon the waters swam, a useless drift.1667, John Dryden, Annus Mirabilis: The Year of Wonders, 1666. […], London: […] Henry Herringman, […], →OCLC, (please specify the stanza number)
  2. (physical) A mass of matter which has been driven or forced onward together in a body, or thrown together in a heap, etc., especially by wind or water.
    • a drift of snow, of ice, of sand, of plants, etc.
    • Drifts of rising dust involve the sky.1725, Homer, “Book VIII”, in [William Broome], transl., The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume II, London: […] Bernard Lintot, →OCLC
  3. (physical) The distance through which a current flows in a given time.
  4. (collective, physical) The animals being moved in a drive, as of cattle, goats, horses, pigs or sheep.
    • cattle coming over the bridge (with their great drifts doing much damage to the high ways)1655, Thomas Fuller, The History of the University of Cambridge, since the Conquest, [London]: [[…] Iohn Williams […]], →OCLC
    • ...traveling slowly, like a drift of horses2011, Barry Lopez, Light Action in the Caribbean, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
    Synonyms:
    drove
  5. (collective, physical) A group of birds moving together.
    • A drift of geese rose over the bank.2023, Sue Hubbard, Flatlands, Steerforth Press, page 213
    • a drift of ducks waddled in panic from her bare feet2014, George Mackay Brown, Hawkfall, John Murray Press
    Synonyms:
    flock
  6. (physical) A collection of loose earth and rocks, or boulders, which have been distributed over large portions of the earth's surface, especially in latitudes north of forty degrees, by the retreat of continental glaciers, such as that which buries former river valleys and creates young river valleys.
    • It is there seen that at a distance from the valleys of streams, the old glacial drift usually comes to the surface, and often rises into considerable eminences.1867, E. Andrews, "Observations on the Glacial Drift beneath the bed of Lake Michigan," American Journal of Science and Arts, vol. 43, nos. 127-129, page 75
  7. (countable, physical) A collection of logs floating down a river.
  8. (physical) Driftwood included in flotsam washed up onto the beach.
  9. (obsolete, physical) A driving; a violent movement.
    • The dragon drew him [self] away with drift of his wings.1332, author unknown, King Alisaunder
  10. (physical) Course or direction along which anything is driven; setting.
    • Our drift was south.1589, Richard Hakluyt, The Principall Navigations, Voiages, and Discoveries of the English Nation, […], London: […] George Bishop and Ralph Newberie, deputies to Christopher Barker, […], →OCLC
  11. (physical) That which is driven, forced, or urged along.
    • The desert storm was riding in its strength; the travellers lay beneath the mastery of the fell simoom.[…]Drifts of yellow vapour, fiery, parching, stinging, filled the air.1892, James Yoxall, chapter 5, in The Lonely Pyramid
  12. The act or motion of drifting; the force which impels or drives; an overpowering influence or impulse.
    • A bad man, being under the drift of any passion, will follow the impulse of it till something interpose.1678, Robert South, Prevention of Sin an unvaluable Mercy, sermon preached at Christ-Church, Oxon on November 10, 1678
Show 23 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
  1. A place (a ford) along a river where the water is shallow enough to permit crossing to the opposite side.
  2. The tendency of an act, argument, course of conduct, or the like; object aimed at or intended; intention; hence, also, import or meaning of a sentence or discourse; aim.
    • The Gods defenders of the innocent,
      Will neuer proſper your intended driftes,
      That thus oppreſſe poore friendles paſſengers.c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC...
    • c. early 1700s, Joseph Addison, A Discourse on Ancient and Modern Learning
      He has made the drift of the whole poem a compliment on his country in general.
  3. The horizontal thrust or pressure of an arch or vault upon the abutments.
  4. (handiwork) A slightly tapered tool of steel for enlarging or shaping a hole in metal, by being forced or driven into or through it; a broach.
  5. (handiwork) A tool used to pack down the composition contained in a rocket, or like firework.
  6. (handiwork) A tool used to insert or extract a removable pin made of metal or hardwood, for the purpose of aligning and/or securing two pieces of material together.
  7. A deviation from the line of fire, peculiar to obloid projectiles.
  8. (uncountable) Minor deviation of audio or video playback from its correct speed.
    • Reference sync servo system — permits minimal time-base error, assuring minimum jitter and drift.1975, Broadcast Management/engineering, volume 11
  9. (uncountable) The situation where a performer gradually and unintentionally moves from their proper location within the scene.
    • There is another form of drift when playing in a scene with other actors.1970, Michael Pate, The Film Actor: Acting for Motion Pictures and Television, page 64
  10. A passage driven or cut between shaft and shaft; a driftway; a small subterranean gallery.
  11. An adit or tunnel driven forward for purposes of exploration or exploitation; generally eventually to a dead end.
  12. A sloping winze or road to the surface, for purposes of haulage.
  13. In a coal mine, a heading driven for exploration or ventilation.
  14. Of a boring or a driven tunnel: deviation from the intended course.
  15. A heading driven through a seam of coal.
  16. The angle which the line of a ship's motion makes with the meridian, in drifting.
  17. The distance a vessel is carried off from her desired course by the wind, currents, or other causes.
  18. The place in a deep-waisted vessel where the sheer is raised and the rail is cut off, and usually terminated with a scroll, or driftpiece.
  19. The distance between the two blocks of a tackle.
  20. The difference between the size of a bolt and the hole into which it is driven, or between the circumference of a hoop and that of the mast on which it is to be driven.
  21. A sideways movement of the ball through the air, when bowled by a spin bowler.
    Synonyms:
    swerve
  22. Slow, cumulative change.
    • genetic drift
  23. In the New Forest National Park, UK, the bi-annual round-up of wild ponies in order to sell them.

Verb

drift (third-person singular simple present drifts, present participle drifting, simple past and past participle drifted)

  1. (intransitive) To move slowly, especially pushed by currents of water, air, etc.
    • The boat drifted away from the shore.
    • The balloon was drifting in the breeze.
  2. (intransitive) To move haphazardly without any destination.
    • He drifted from town to town, never settling down.
  3. (intransitive) To deviate gently from the intended direction of travel.
    • This car tends to drift left at high speeds.
    • Midway through the half, Argentine Tevez did begin to drift inside in order to exert his influence but by this stage Mick McCarthy's side had gone 1-0 up and looked comfortable.2011 January 15, Saj Chowdhury, “Man City 4-3 Wolves”, in BBC
  4. (transitive) To drive or carry, as currents do a floating body.
    • I was drifted back first to the ante - Nicene history , and then to the Church of Alexandria1865-1866, John Henry Newman, Apologia Pro Vita Sua
  5. (transitive) To drive into heaps.
    • A current of wind drifts snow or sand
  6. (intransitive) To accumulate in heaps by the force of wind; to be driven into heaps.
    • Snow or sand drifts.
  7. (US) To make a drift; to examine a vein or ledge for the purpose of ascertaining the presence of metals or ores; to follow a vein; to prospect.
  8. (transitive) To enlarge or shape, as a hole, with a drift.
  9. To oversteer a vehicle, causing loss of traction, while maintaining control from entry to exit of a corner. See Drifting (motorsport).

drift meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

drift in Hindi

to drift
बहना bahnā

drift in Tamil

நீரோட்டம், சுரங்க வழி, போக்கு, உச்சரிப்பு வேறுபாடு

drift in Marathi

drift, inclination, direction
रोख rokh

drift in Urdu

بہاؤ, دھارا, مراد, بہنا
More languagesFewer languages
drift in Bengali
ভাসিয়ে যাওয়া
drift in Malayalam
ചെറിയ ഒഴുക്ക്, ഉദ്ദേശ്യം, കൂന, പ്രവണത
drift in Kannada
ಘಟನೆಗಳ ಚಲನೆ, ಘಟನೆಗಳ ಗಮನ, ಪ್ರವಾಹದಲ್ಲಿ ಕೊಚ್ಚಿ ಹೋಗುವುದು, ಸೆಳೆತಕ್ಕೆ ಸಿಕ್ಕಿ ಸಾಗುವುದು
drift in Punjabi
ਡ੍ਰਿਫਟ
drift in Nepali
ड्रिफ्ट
drift in Persian
پرسه زدن

Examples of drift in a sentence

  • We […] got the brig a good bed in the rushing drift [of ice].1855, Elisha Kent Kane, Arctic explorations: The second Grinnell expedition in search of Sir John Franklin:
  • Many of these ground-layer plants were placed in naturalistic drifts to make it appear as if they were sowing themselves.2012, David L. Culp, The Layered Garden: Design Lessons for Year-Round Beauty from Brandywine Cottage, Timber Press, page 168:
  • It's usually more like four inches, but you get big drifts up towards Rannoch.2023 November 29, Paul Clifton, “West is best in the Highlands”, in RAIL, number 997, page 39:
  • Mind yourselves below; there's a drift of sheep coming down the road1912, John M Synge, The Works of John M Synge, At a Wicklow Fair, page 38:

All 40 example sentences with drift

Synonyms of drift

Forms of drift

Noun
pluraldrifts
Verb
third-person singular presentdrifts
present participledrifting
past participledrifted
pastdrifted

Past tense of drift: drifted

Plural of drift: drifts

Origin of drift

From Middle English drift, dryft (“act of driving, drove, shower of rain or snow, impulse”), from Old English *drift (“drift”), from Proto-Germanic *driftiz (“drift”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰreybʰ- (“to drive, push”). Equivalent to drive + -t; cognate with North Frisian drift (“drift”), Saterland Frisian Drift (“current, flow, stream, drift”), Dutch drift (“drift, passion, urge”), German Drift (“drift”) and Trift (“drove, pasture”), Danish drift (“impulse, instinct”), Swedish drift (“impulse, instinct”), Icelandic drift (“drift, snow-drift”).

Words formed from drift

Phrases with drift

17 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with drift

11 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about drift

What does drift mean?
Drift means anything driven at random.
What is drift in Hindi?
Drift in Hindi is बहना (bahnā). See Drift meaning in Hindi.
How do you use drift in a sentence?
We […] got the brig a good bed in the rushing drift [of ice].
What part of speech is drift?
Drift can be a noun or a verb.
How do you pronounce drift?
Drift is pronounced /dɹɪft/.
What is the plural of drift?
The plural of drift is drifts.

Words near drift in the dictionary

  1. Driessen
  2. Driessens
  3. driest
  4. drieth
  5. Driffield
  6. drift
  7. drift along
  8. drift anchor
  9. drift anchors
  10. drift apart
  11. drift excursion

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: drift (page history and authors); बहना (Hindi) (page history and authors); drift (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); रोख (Marathi) (page history and authors); drift (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); drift (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); drift (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); drift (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors); drift (Punjabi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); drift (Nepali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-drift.ogg, en-au-drift.ogg.

Cite this entry: “drift.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/drift. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.