drove

1 of 2

noun

ˈdrōv 

1

: a group of animals driven or moving in a body

2

: a large number : crowd

—usually used in plural especially with in

came in droves

drove

2 of 2

past tense of drive

Synonyms

Noun

• flock
• swarm
• throng
• crowd
• horde

Examples of drove in a Sentence

Noun

people flocked to the annual festival in droves

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Tourists come in droves to enjoy the scenery and embrace the four distinct seasons. —Sheri Castle, Southern Living, 31 Aug. 2025

And of the droves of drivers pulled over that night, only a handful were issued traffic citations. —Liam Adams, The Tennessean, 29 Aug. 2025

Population shifts across the country—with droves of people relocating to the South and the Midwest because of their relative affordability in recent years—have also put more people in harm's way from natural disasters, Friedlander said. —Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025

Combined with historically high home prices, droves of would-be homeowners have been locked out of the housing market, many of which are millennials and Gen Z. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English drāf, from drīfan to drive — more at drive

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for drove

• clove
• cove
• rove
• shrove
• stove
• strove
• throve
• trove
• wove
• alcove
• mangrove

Kids Definition

drove

1 of 2 noun

ˈdrōv 

1

: a group of animals driven or moving in a body

2

: a crowd of people moving or acting together

drove

2 of 2

past of drive

Etymology

Noun

Old English drāf "group of animals moving together," from drīfan "to drive"