1
as in to flow
to move or proceed smoothly and readily
casual conversation drifting from one topic to another
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to hover
to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air
the boat drifted along on the current
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to wander
to move about from place to place aimlessly
spent several years drifting from town to town, picking up odd jobs whenever he needed cash
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
2
as in tide
a prevailing or general movement or inclination
the steady drift of the population away from large cities
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in sense
the idea that is conveyed or intended to be conveyed to the mind by language, symbol, or action
you should expect a visit from the stork, if you get my drift
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of drift
Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
Anglers would cast three flies below a strike indicator, offering hungry trout a veritable buffet of options drifting downstream.
—Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 30 Oct. 2025
Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
Tinny chart tunes drift across the arena.
—Sean Williams, Outside, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drift
Verb
Warm waters fuel storms For four days, Melissa drifted over the Caribbean, its peak sustained winds averaging 50 mph.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
Anglers would cast three flies below a strike indicator, offering hungry trout a veritable buffet of options drifting downstream.
—Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 30 Oct. 2025
Noun
Jazz seeps from Blue Note, meeting in the street to mingle with the fragrance of espressos and cappuccinos from Caffè Reggio, while men in Washington Square Park drift through clouds of smoke from their joints.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
Tinny chart tunes drift across the arena.
—Sean Williams, Outside, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drift
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drift
Verb
-
As Snell continued to tire and miss his spots, Toronto’s opportunities kept flowing.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Drawings of the Duffield Cave, as seen in the YouTube video, show that the section has a narrow entrance, then curves upward before flowing left, dropping down again and bending right before angling back up to a larger chamber.—
Mark Gray,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Javier Mascherano’s side took firm control in the 62nd minute when Messi, hovering deep, fed overlapping fullback Ian Fray down the right, and the Jamaican international’s cross was perfectly headed home by Tadeo Allende.—
The Athletic Staff,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
After midnight on September 30th, helicopters hovered above a large Chicago apartment building, and heavily armored agents rappelled from the choppers onto the roof.—
Veralyn Williams,
NPR,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Rio has several bairros, or neighborhoods, but Barros prefers to wander the winding streets of the bohemian Santa Teresa neighborhood, a hilly district with an artistic vibe, colonial architecture, and panoramic views of the city.—
Dobrina Zhekova,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Kyle MacLachlan was wandering around the Paramour Estate in Silver Lake, the lavish former home of silent film star Antonio Moreno and his wife and oil heiress Daisey Canfield last night.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Wong opts for a Belgian-style waffle, with deep cups ready to absorb the golf-ball-sized mound of sambal-honey butter on top.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
25 Oct. 2025
-
The score was just 2-2 at the start of the inning, and Dodgers' two-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell was on the mound.—
Gabe Smallson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
To have the chance to turn the tide.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Fully understanding how weather, flows, tides, and a plethora of other factors will help or hurt a bite are probably beyond your novice’s experience level.—
The Editors,
Outdoor Life,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Filler shots of chauffeurs, champagne and colossal walk-in closets with pristine designer clobber glistening and gleaming from glass shelves centred around trays and trays of priceless jewels assault the viewer’s senses between almost every scene.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
-
For all the fans’ cries for the team to go all in, there’s still the matter of dollars and sense.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Porter, who was wearing forest-green DaddyGoFish waders, glided into the waist-deep rapids and walked a line between them, periodically dipping small plastic bottles into the water and then depositing them into a mesh bag.—
Katie Thornton,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Other mammals — like flying squirrels and flying lemurs — can only glide, despite their names.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This is a type of vertigo that happens when canaliths, which are small pieces of calcium, are floating inside your inner ear canals.—
Jakob Roze,
Health,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Add texture to beds, couches, and chairs with a plush faux rabbit fur throw blanket, incorporate a pop of color with a throw pillow, and dress up your walls with practical floating shelves or sconces.—
Rachel Trujillo,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drift.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drift. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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