Main Entry: ²drift

Function: verb

Date: circa 1600

intransitive verb

1 a : to become driven or carried along (as by a current of water, wind, or air) <a balloon drifting in the wind> b : to move or float smoothly and effortlessly
2 a : to move along a line of least resistance b : to move in a random or casual way c : to become carried along subject to no guidance or control <the talk drifted from topic to topic>
3 a : to accumulate in a mass or become piled up in heaps by wind or water <drifting snow> b : to become covered with a drift
4 : to vary or deviate from a set course or adjustmenttransitive verb 1 a : to cause to be driven in a current b West : to drive (livestock) slowly especially to allow grazing
2 a : to pile in heaps b : to cover with drifts

— drift·ing·ly \ˈdrif-tiŋ-lē\ adverb