adrift
adverb or adjective
1
: without motive power and without anchor or mooring
a boat adrift on the sea
2
: without ties, guidance, or security
people morally adrift
3
: free from restraint or support
Examples of adrift in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Odell’s ideas gallop between twentieth-century time studies and ancient Chinese water clocks, Amazonian factory floors and Zoom rooms set adrift, mastery journals, Mojave poetry, second shifts, segregated leisure, Ice Age sea floors and present-day climate crisis.
—
Gabriela Riccardi, Quartz, 22 Mar. 2023
But how did that material wind up adrift in the first place?
—Leslie Nemo, Discover Magazine, 1 Oct. 2019
See all Example Sentences for adrift 
Gabriela Riccardi, Quartz, 22 Mar. 2023
But how did that material wind up adrift in the first place?
—Leslie Nemo, Discover Magazine, 1 Oct. 2019
See all Example Sentences for adrift
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'adrift.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near adrift
Cite this Entry
“Adrift.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adrift. Accessed 1 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
adrift
adverb or adjective1
: without power or anchor
a ship adrift in the storm
2
: without guidance or purpose
alone and adrift in the city
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