Word.ws English Dictionary

drive

/dɹaɪv/

More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations

Australia/dɹɑev/

drive verb: to operate (a wheeled motorized vehicle).

drive: to operate (a wheeled motorized vehicle)
Image: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Verb

drive (third-person singular simple present drives, present participle driving, simple past drove or (archaic) drave or (dialectal) driv, past participle driven or (dialectal) druv or (dialectal) drove)

  1. (ergative, transitive) To operate (a wheeled motorized vehicle).
    • The bridges weren't strong enough to drive (campers) over.
    • This SUV drives insanely smoothly—it's like it knows what I want before I do.
    Synonyms:
    ride
  2. (intransitive) To travel by operating a wheeled motorized vehicle.
    • I drive to work every day.
    Synonyms:
    motorvate
  3. (transitive) To convey (a person, etc.) in a wheeled motorized vehicle.
    • My cousin drove me to the airport.
    Synonyms:
    take
  4. (slang, transitive) To operate (an aircraft); to pilot.
    • drive a 737
    Synonyms:
    fly, pilot
  5. (intransitive, transitive) To direct a vehicle powered by a horse, ox or similar animal.
    • There is a litter ready; lay him in’t
      And drive towards Dover, friend, where thou shalt meet
      Both welcome and protection.c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
    • We drove back to the office with some concern on my part at the prospect of so large a case. Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke. He was dressed out in broad gaiters and bright tweeds, like an English tourist, and his face might have belonged to...1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter II, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC
  6. (transitive) (especially of animals) To impel or urge onward by force; to push forward; to compel to move on.
    • to drive twenty thousand head of cattle from Texas to the Kansas railheads; to drive sheep out of a field
    Synonyms:
    drove, goad, herd
  7. (transitive) (especially animals) To cause to flee out of.
    • The hunting dog drove the birds out of the tall grass.
    • We'll drive the enemy from these lands once and for all.
  8. (transitive) To provide an impetus for motion or other physical change, to move an object by means of the provision of force thereto.
    • You drive nails into wood with any hammer; it's not as strenuous as driving a tunnel through the rock.
    • Moving very quietly, I crept up the stairs, and at the top drove one drawing-pin into the lintel about a foot up, another at the same height into the baluster opposite […]1923, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], “(please specify the page)”, in The Eyes of Max Carrados, London: Grant Richards, →OCLC
    Synonyms:
    force, push
  9. (transitive) To cause (a mechanism) to operate.
    • The pistons drive the crankshaft.
    Synonyms:
    move, operate
  10. (intransitive) To hit the ball with a drive.
  11. (transitive) To separate the lighter (feathers or down) from the heavier, by exposing them to a current of air.
  12. (transitive) To displace either physically or non-physically, through the application of force.
    • One fire drives out one fire; one nail, one nail;
      Rights by rights falter, strengths by strengths do fail.c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
Show 14 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
  1. (transitive) To provide an impetus for a change in one's situation or state of mind.
    • My husband's constant harping about the condition of the house threatens to drive me to distraction.
  2. (transitive) To motivate; to provide an incentive for.
    • What drives a person to run a marathon?
  3. (transitive) To compel, exert pressure, coerce (to do something).
    • Their debts finally drove them to sell the business.
    • He driuen to dismount, threatned, if I did not the like, to doo as much for my horse, as Fortune had done for his.c. 1580 (date written), Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “(please specify the folio)”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New...
  4. (transitive) To cause to become.
    • This constant complaining is going to drive me insane.
    • You are driving me crazy!
    Synonyms:
    make, send, render
  5. (transitive) To motivate through the application or demonstration of force; to impel or urge onward in such a way.
    • Frothing at the mouth and threatening expulsion, Coach relentlessly drove the team to more laps of the pitch.
    • […] Demosthenes desired them first to put in at Pylos and not to proceed on their voyage until they had done what he wanted. They objected, but it so happened that a storm came on and drove them into Pylos.1881, “Thucydides”, in Benjamin Jowett, transl., History of the Peloponnesian War, Oxford: Clarendon, Volume I, Book 4, p. 247
  6. (transitive) To urge, press, or bring to a point or state.
    • The negotiations were driven to completion minutes before the final deadline.
    • If you drive yourself so much, you'll end up having a breakdown.
  7. (intransitive) To move forcefully.
    • […] Unequal match’d,
      Pyrrhus at Priam drives, in rage strikes wide;c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac...
    • Thus while the Pious Prince his Fate bewails,
      Fierce Boreas drove against his flying Sails.
      And rent the Sheets […]1697, Virgil, “The First Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, lines 146-148
    Synonyms:
    onrush, plough
  8. (intransitive) To be moved or propelled forcefully (especially of a ship).
    • […] as a duck for life that dives,
      So up and down the poor ship drives:c. 1607–1608 (date written), William Shakespeare, [George Wilkins?], The Late, and Much Admired Play, Called Pericles, Prince of Tyre. […], London: […] [William White and Thomas Creede] for Henry...
    • […] the Captain […] order’d the Cable to be cut, and let the Ship drive nearer the Land, where she soon beat to pieces:1743, Robert Drury, The Pleasant, and Surprizing Adventures of Mr. Robert Drury, during his Fifteen Years Captivity on the Island of Madagascar, London, page 12
  9. (transitive) To carry or to keep in motion; to conduct; to prosecute.
    • You know the Trade of Life can’t be driven without Partners; there is a reciprocal Dependance between the Greatest and the Least.1694, Jeremy Collier, “Of General Kindness”, in Miscellanies in Five Essays, London: Sam. Keeble & Jo. Hindmarsh, page 69
  10. (transitive) To clear, by forcing away what is contained.
    • We come not with design of wastful Prey,
      To drive the Country, force the Swains away:1697, Virgil, “The First Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, lines 744-745
    Synonyms:
    empty, evacuate, void
  11. To dig horizontally; to cut a horizontal gallery or tunnel.
    • If the miners find no ore, they drive or cut a gallery from the pit a short distance at right angles to the direction of the lodes found1852-1866, Charles Tomlinson, Cyclopaedia of Useful Arts and Manufactures
    Synonyms:
    tunnel
  12. To put together a drive (n.): to string together offensive plays and advance the ball down the field.
  13. (obsolete) To distrain for rent.
  14. To be the dominant party in a sex act.
    Synonyms:
    dominate

Noun

drive (countable and uncountable, plural drives)

  1. Planned, usually long-lasting, effort to achieve something; ability coupled with ambition, determination, and motivation.
    • Crassus had wealth and wit, but Pompey had drive and Caesar as much again.
    • As we contemplate the half-finished arterial roads and electrification plans of our own age, and the town-planning schemes that gather dust in the public libraries, we can admire the drive and action of the railway pioneers.1951 December, Michael Robbins, “John Francis's "History of the English Railway"”, in Railway Magazine, page 800
    Synonyms:
    ambition, grit, push, verve, motivation, get-up-and-go, self-motivation
    Antonyms:
    inertia, lack of motivation, laziness, phlegm, sloth
  2. Violent or rapid motion; a rushing onward or away; (especially) a forced or hurried dispatch of business.
    • The Murdstonian drive in business.1881, Matthew Arnold, The Incompatibles
  3. (broadly) An act of driving game animals forward, to be captured or hunted.
    • Are you all ready?’ he cried, and set off towards the dead ash where the drive would begin.1955, Robin Jenkins, The Cone-Gatherers, Canongate, published 2012, page 79
  4. (broadly) An act of driving livestock animals forward, to transport a herd.
    Synonyms:
    drove, drift
  5. A sustained advance in the face of the enemy to take an objective.
    • Napoleon's drive on Moscow was as determined as it was disastrous.
    • On the other hand, in Eritrea (once our Forces had recaptured Kassala on January 19) the drive was generally eastward towards the capital, Asmara, and the Red Sea port of Massaua.1941 August, Charles E. Lee, “Railways of Italian East Africa—I”, in Railway Magazine, page 340
    Synonyms:
    attack, push
  6. A mechanism used to power or give motion to a vehicle or other machine or machine part.
    • steam drive, nuclear drive, chain drive, rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, front-wheel drive
    • Some old model trains have clockwork drives.
    Synonyms:
    gear, engine, motor
  7. The location of the steering wheel used to control a vehicle.
    • left-hand drive, right-hand drive
  8. The gear into which one usually shifts an automatic transmission when one is driving a car or truck. (Denoted with symbol D on a shifter's labeling.)
    • Normally you should be in drive, although you can select a lower gear such as 2 or 1 for certain conditions, such as prolonged downhill stretches.
  9. An act of piloting or riding within a vehicle (now generally in a motor vehicle).
    • The drive this morning was awful due to snow and ice.
    1. A trip made in a vehicle (now generally in a motor vehicle).
      • It was a long drive to Santa Fe.
      • We merely waited to rouse good Mrs. Vesey from the place which she still occupied at the deserted luncheon-table, before we entered the open carriage for our promised drive.1859, Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White
    2. The act of driving a car with no destination in mind, generally to see the scenery, be alone with one's thoughts or to spend time with a partner.
      • We like to go for a drive on Sunday afternoons.
  10. (dated) A place suitable or agreeable for driving; a road prepared for driving.
  11. A driveway.
    • The mansion had a long, tree-lined drive.
    • We expressed our readiness, and in ten minutes were in the station wagon, rolling rapidly down the long drive, for it was then after nine. We passed on the way the van of the guests from Asquith.1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC
    Synonyms:
    approach, driveway
  12. (capitalized, generally) A type of public roadway.
    • Beverly Hills’ most famous street is Rodeo Drive.
Show 14 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
  1. Desire or interest.
    • On the latter show, former Playboy Playmate Carrie Westcott said she'd never met a man who could match her sexual drive.1995 March 2, John Carman, "Believe It, You Saw It in Sweeps", SFGate http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Believe-It-You-Saw-It-In-Sweeps-3043091.php
    Synonyms:
    desire, impetus, impulse, urge
  2. An apparatus for reading and writing data to or from a mass storage device such as a disk.
    Synonyms:
    disk drive
  3. A mass storage device in which the mechanism for reading and writing data is integrated with the mechanism for storing data.
  4. The state of being under pressure, stressed and hurried.
    • I suffered under the intense drive of my new job.
  5. A stroke made with a driver.
  6. A ball struck in a flat trajectory.
    • a long drive
  7. A type of shot played by swinging the bat in a vertical arc, through the line of the ball, and hitting it along the ground, normally between cover and midwicket.
  8. A straight level shot or pass.
    • And after Rodallega missed two early opportunities, the first a header, the second a low drive easily held by Lukasz Fabianski, it was N'Zogbia who created the opening goal.2010 December 29, Mark Vesty, “Wigan 2-2 Arsenal”, in BBC
  9. An offensive possession, generally one consisting of several plays and/ or first downs, often leading to a scoring opportunity.
  10. A charity event such as a fundraiser, bake sale, or toy drive.
    • a fund-raising drive
    • a whist drive
  11. A campaign aimed at selling or promoting (something).
    • vaccination drive
  12. An impression or matrix formed by a punch drift.
  13. A collection of objects that are driven.
    1. A mass of logs to be floated down a river or the act of moving them thusly.
  14. (UK, slang, especially Bristol and Wales) Friendly term of address for a bus driver.
    • Yeah, thanks, drive!
      You boyz all goin' shoppin'?
      We are, drive, says Chip.2017 March 21, Leonora Brito, Dat's Love and Other Stories, Parthian Books, →ISBN
    • The coaches dropped us where we had begun, outside the chapel; each child in turn piping up, 'Thank you, drive!' as we disembarked.2017 July 1, Huw Lewis, To Hear the Skylark's Song, Parthian Books, →ISBN

drive meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

drive in Hindi

to operate (a wheeled motorized vehicle)
चलाना calānā
to travel by operating a motorized vehicle
चलाना calānā

drive in Tamil

to operate (a wheeled motorized vehicle)
ஓட்டு ōṭṭu

drive in Marathi

to drive
चालवणे cālavṇe

drive in Urdu

to operate (a wheeled motorized vehicle)
چلانا calānā
More languagesFewer languages
drive in Bengali
চালানো calanō
drive in Telugu
తోలు tōlu, త్రోలు trōlu
drive in Malayalam
ഡ്രൈവ് ḍraivŭ
drive in Kannada
ಓಡಿಸು ōḍisu
drive in Punjabi
ਤੋਰਨਾ tornā
drive in Sanskrit
अजति ájati, अज् aj, अवति ávati, ह्नु hnu
drive in Assamese
চলোৱা solüa
drive in Nepali
चलाउनु calāunu, गुडाउनु guḍāunu
drive in Pashto
چلول, موټر چلول
drive in Tagalog
magmaneho
drive in Arabic
قَادَ qāda, سَاقَ sāqa
drive in Malay
memandu, kesungguhan
drive in Indonesian
mengemudi, mengemudikan, kandar
drive in Persian
راندن rândan, روندن rundan, انگیختن angixtan, برانگیختن barângixtan
drive in Thai
ขับ kàp, ขับรถ, ต้อน dtɔ̂ɔn, จิก jìk
drive in Vietnamese
lái, lái xe
drive in Myanmar
မောင်း maung:

Examples of drive in a sentence

  • One morning I had been driven to the precarious refuge afforded by the steps of the inn, after rejecting offers from the Celebrity to join him in a variety of amusements.1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company...
  • And now we're waiting for the very same people to establish GBR, drive through urgently needed fares reform, and come up with imaginative and effective train operating contracts...2022 January 12, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Unhappy start to 2022”, in RAIL, number 948, page 3:
  • I confess that the sight of my minute man ahead, getting closer and closer, gives me a little more drive even when I think I am going as fast as I can.1986, Fred Matheny, Solo Cycling: How to Train and Race Bicycle Time Trials, page 136:
  • I can make money from the comfort of my sofa / So much drive, now I gotta get a chauffeur2024, “Hot One”, in King of the Mischievous South Vol. 2, performed by Denzel Curry, Note the word play involving the senses of operating a...

All 40 example sentences with drive

Synonyms of drive

30 more synonymsFewer synonyms

Antonyms

All synonyms and antonyms of drive

Forms of drive

Verb
third-person singular presentdrives
present participledriving
pastdrove
past participledriven
alternative formDr.
past (archaic)drave
past (dialectal)driv
past participle (dialectal)druv
past participle (dialectal)drove
second-person singular present (archaic)drivest
second-person singular past (archaic)drovest
second-person singular past (archaic)dravest
third-person singular present (archaic)driveth
Noun
pluraldrives

Past tense of drive: drove

Plural of drive: drives

Origin of drive

From Middle English driven, from Old English drīfan (“to drive, force, move”), from Proto-West Germanic *drīban, from Proto-Germanic *drībaną (“to drive”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰreybʰ- (“to drive, push”). Cognates Cognate with Scots drive (“to drive”), Yola dhreeve, dhrive, dreeve, drieve, drive (“to drive”), North Frisian driiv, driiw, driwe (“to drive”), West Frisian driuwe (“to drive; to float”), Alemannic German triibe (“to drive”), Dutch drijven (“to drive, push”), German treiben (“to drive, push, propel”), Low German drieven (“to drive, drift, push”), Luxembourgish dreiwen (“to drive, propel”), Yiddish טרײַבן (traybn, “to drive”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål drive (“to drive, propel”), Icelandic drífa (“to drive”), Norwegian Nynorsk driva, drive (“to drive, move; to propel; to run”), Swedish driva (“to drive, compel; to drift; to run”), Gothic 𐌳𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌽 (dreiban, “to drive”).

Words formed from drive

Phrases with drive

133 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with drive

34 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about drive

What does drive mean?
Drive means to operate (a wheeled motorized vehicle).
What is drive in Hindi?
Drive in Hindi is चलाना (calānā). See Drive meaning in Hindi.
How do you use drive in a sentence?
One morning I had been driven to the precarious refuge afforded by the steps of the inn, after rejecting offers from the Celebrity to join him in a variety of amusements.
What part of speech is drive?
Drive can be a verb or a noun.
How do you pronounce drive?
Drive is pronounced /dɹaɪv/ (UK).
What is the past tense of drive?
The past tense of drive is drove.

Words near drive in the dictionary

  1. driv
  2. driv someone to drink
  3. driv to drink
  4. drivability
  5. drivable
  6. drive
  7. drive a coach and horses through
  8. drive a coach and six through
  9. drive a hard bargain
  10. drive a nail in someone's coffin
  11. drive a nail where it will go

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: drive (page history and authors); चालवणे (Marathi) (page history and authors); চালানো (Bengali) (page history and authors); తోలు (Telugu) (page history and authors); ഡ്രൈവ് (Malayalam) (page history and authors); ಓಡಿಸು (Kannada) (page history and authors); ਤੋਰਨਾ (Punjabi) (page history and authors); अजति (Sanskrit) (page history and authors). 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.

Last updated:

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

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