driver

driv·er

noun \ˈdrī-vər\

Definition of DRIVER

: one that drives: as

a : coachman

b : the operator of a motor vehicle

c : an implement (as a hammer) for driving

d : a mechanical piece for imparting motion to another piece

e : one that provides impulse or motivation <a driver in this economy>

f : a golf wood with a nearly straight face used in driving

g : an electronic circuit that supplies input to another electronic circuit; also : loudspeaker

h : a piece of computer software that controls input and output operations

— driv·er·less \-ləs\ adjective

Examples of DRIVER

1. Who was the driver at the time of the accident?
2. We told the taxi driver to take us to the library.
3. He likes to sit at the front of the bus, near the driver.
4. There's a problem with the printer's driver.

First Known Use of DRIVER

14th century

Related to DRIVER

Synonyms

automobilist, motorist, wheelman

Antonyms

nondriver

Related Words

operator; codriver; chauffeur; carpooler

Rhymes with DRIVER

diver, fiver, skiver, stiver, striver, thriver

driver

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Computer program that acts as an intermediary between the operating system and a device such as a disk drive, video card, printer, or keyboard. The driver must contain a detailed knowledge of the device, including its set of specialized commands. The presence of a separate driver program frees the operating system from having to understand the details of every device; instead, the operating system issues general commands to the driver, which in turn translates them into specific instructions for the device, or vice versa.