driving
/ˈdɹaɪvɪŋ/
driving is the present participle and gerund of drive.
Adjective
driving (comparative more driving, superlative most driving)
- That drives (a mechanism or process).
- But the dull, cool, calculating effect given cumulatively through Stalin’s long career, the air of a great glacier moving slowly and by the easiest path to overwhelm some Alpine valley, is only part of the picture. At various times - and especially in his early career - the calm of his general...1968, Robert Conquest, “The Purge Begins”, in The Great Terror: Stalin's Purge of the Thirties, Macmillan Company, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 77
- That drives forcefully; strong; forceful; violent (of wind, rain, etc)
Noun
driving (countable and uncountable, plural drivings)
- The action of the verb to drive in any sense.
- […] with all its drivings of cattle and all its tithe battles, and all the killings and maimings consequent upon those battles, […]1825, Cobbett's Political Register, volume 54, page 789
- In particular, the action of operating a motor vehicle.
- There had been the whisky and Perrier in the morning but, in my ignorance of alcoholics then, I could not imagine one whisky harming anyone who was driving in an open car in the rain.1964, Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC, page 156
- Risk is everywhere. From tabloid headlines insisting that coffee causes cancer (yesterday, of course, it cured it) to stern government warnings about alcohol and driving, the world is teeming with goblins.2013 June 22, “Snakes and ladders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, page 76
- The act of driving the ball; hitting the ball a long distance, especially from the tee to the putting green.
- Heigh-ho! Sing heigh-ho! my Golf is most shocking; My driving is topping, my caddie's still mocking.1899, L.P., “Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind”, in Golf Illustrated, volume 2, page 233
- Ever since I started talking to myself with this new attitude toward my driving and my performance on the first tee and the first few holes, I have experienced consistently better performance with my driver.2003, Daniel Stewart Acuff, Golf Talk, page 57
Meaning of drive
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)
- To operate (a wheeled motorized vehicle).
- The bridges weren't strong enough to drive (campers) over.
- Synonyms:
- ride
- To travel by operating a wheeled motorized vehicle.
- I drive to work every day.
- Synonyms:
- motorvate
- To convey (a person, etc.) in a wheeled motorized vehicle.
- My cousin drove me to the airport.
- Synonyms:
- take
- To operate (an aircraft); to pilot.
- drive a 737
- 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...
- There is a litter ready; lay him in’t
- (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
Forms of driving
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | more driving |
| superlative | most driving |
| Noun | |
| plural | drivings |
Origin of driving
From Middle English dryvyng, drivende, from Old English drīfende, from Proto-Germanic *drībandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *drībaną (“to drive”), equivalent to drive + -ing. Cognate with Saterland Frisian drieuwend, West Frisian driuwend, Dutch drijvend, German Low German drievend, German treibend, Swedish drivande.
From Middle English driving, drivinge, equivalent to drive + -ing. Compare Dutch drijving, German Treibung.
Words formed from driving
- automated driving system
- back-seat driving
- drink-driving
- driving axle
- driving band
- driving-box
- driving car
- driving examiner
- driving force
- driving-gear
- driving glove
- driving iron
- driving-iron
- driving licence
- driving license
- driving mirror
- driving moccasin
- driving motor
- driving notes
- driving permit
- driving power
- driving-putter
- driving rain
- driving range
- driving school
- driving seat
- driving shaft
- driving spirit
- driving-stick
- driving test
- driving time
- driving trailer
- driving under the influence
- driving van trailer
- driving-wheel
- driving wheel
- driving while black
- driving wind
- drug driving
- drugged driving
- drunk-driving
- drunk driving
- drunken driving
- impaired driving
- in the driving seat
- non-driving
- nondriving
- psychic driving
- wardriving
- cabdriving
- driving drunk
- driving impaired
- driving maul
- driving while Mexican
- ecodriving
- screwdriving
- sleepdriving
- truckdriving
Phrases with driving
- driving at
- driving in
- driving up
- driving off
- driving out
- driving away
- driving back
- driving cars
- driving down
- test driving
- daily driving
- drink driving
48 more phrasesFewer phrases
- driving axles
- driving bands
- driving irons
- driving seats
- driving stick
- driving tests
- driving times
- driving truck
- driving winds
- driving forces
- driving gloves
- driving motors
- driving ranges
- driving shafts
- driving wheels
- driving a wedge
- driving it down
- driving mirrors
- driving permits
- driving schools
- driving spirits
- driving licences
- driving licenses
- driving to drink
- driving trailers
- driving examiners
- driving moccasins
- driving someone mad
- drinking and driving
- driving someone nuts
- driving van trailers
- driving someone crazy
- driving someone insane
- driving something down
- driving to distraction
- driving a wedge between
- driving into the ground
- driving someone to drink
- driving the porcelain bus
- driving someone to the wall
- driving someone up the wall
- driving one's pigs to market
- driving a coach and six through
- driving a nail where it will go
- driving a stake through its heart
- driving something into the ground
- driving a coach and horses through
- driving a nail in someone's coffin
Words that rhyme with driving
Questions about driving
- What does driving mean?
- Driving means that drives (a mechanism or process).
- What is driving the present participle and gerund of?
- Driving is the present participle and gerund of drive.
- What part of speech is driving?
- Driving can be an adjective or a noun.
- How do you pronounce driving?
- Driving is pronounced /ˈdɹaɪvɪŋ/.
Words near driving in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: driving (page history and authors); drive (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-us-driving.ogg.
Cite this entry: “driving.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/driving. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.