1
a
: to frighten or prod (game, cattle, etc.) into moving in a desired direction
drive cattle across the prairie
b
hunting
: to go through (an area) driving game animals
drive the other side of the mountain
2
: to carry on or through energetically
drives a hard bargain
3
a
: to impart a forward motion to by physical force
Waves drove the boat ashore.
drive the nail into the beam
b
: to repulse, remove, or cause to go by force, authority, or influence
drive the enemy back
c
: to set or keep in motion or operation
drive machinery by electricity
d
basketball
: to move quickly and forcefully down or along
drive the lane
drive the baseline
4
a
: to direct the motions and course of (a draft animal)
drive an ox
b
: to operate the mechanism and controls and direct the course of (a vehicle)
drive a car
c
: to convey in a vehicle
His father drove me home.
d
: to float (logs) down a stream
5
a
: to exert inescapable or coercive pressure on : force
driven by his passions
b
: to compel to undergo or suffer a change (as in situation or emotional state)
The constant noise drove us batty.
The competition drove them out of business.
see also drive (someone) bananas, drive (someone) nuts,drive (someone) up the wall
c
: to urge relentlessly to continuous exertion
the sergeant drove his recruits
d
: to press or force into an activity, course, or direction
Ambition drives them to succeed.
e
: to project, inject, or impress incisively
drove her point home
6
mining
: to force (a passage) by pressing or digging
drive a tunnel
7
a
: to propel (an object of play) swiftly or forcefully
drove a long fly ball to the warning track
b
golf
: to hit (a ball) from the tee especially with a driver (see driver sense f)
drove the ball down the fairway
also
: to drive a golf ball onto (a green)
c
baseball
: to cause (a run or runner) to be scored (see score entry 2 sense 4a(2))
—usually used with in
drove him in with a single
8
: to give shape or impulse to
factors that drive the business cycle
the ideas that have driven history
1
a
: to dash, plunge, or surge ahead rapidly or violently
rudely drove past her
b
: to progress with strong momentum
the rain was driving hard
c
basketball
: to make a quick and forceful move
driving to the hoop
2
a
: to operate a vehicle
learned to drive at the age of seventeen
b
: to have oneself carried in a vehicle
drove to Canada as a kid
3
golf
: to drive a golf ball
drove down the fairway
plural drives
often attributive
1
: an act of driving:
a
: a trip in a carriage or automobile
a short drive to the coast
b
: an instance of collecting and moving animals (such as game or cattle) together in a desired direction
also
: the animals gathered and driven (see drive entry 1 sense transitive 1a)
c
: a driving of cattle or sheep overland
d
: a hunt or shoot in which the game is driven within the hunter's range
e
: the guiding of logs downstream to a mill
also
: the floating logs amassed in a drive
f(1)
: the act or an instance of propelling an object of play (such as a golf ball) swiftly or forcefully
(2)
: the flight of a ball
a high drive to left field
2
a
: a private road : driveway
b
: a public road for driving (as in a park)
3
: the state of being hurried and under pressure
elude the ruthless drive of work and worry—
S. H. Adams
S. H. Adams4
a
: a strong systematic group effort
a fund-raising drive
The school held a food drive [=an event to collect food items for donation] to benefit the local shelter.
b
: a sustained offensive (see offensive entry 1 sense 1) effort
the drive ended in a touchdown
5
a
mechanical engineering
: the means for giving motion to a machine or machine part
b
: the means by which the propulsive power of an automobile is applied to the road
front wheel drive
c
: the means by which the propulsion of an automotive vehicle is controlled and directed
a left-hand drive
6
a
: an offensive, aggressive, or expansionist move
especially
: a strong military attack against enemy-held terrain
b
basketball
: a quick and aggressive move toward the basket
7
a
biology
: an urgent, basic, or instinctual need : a motivating physiological condition of an organism
a sexual drive
b
: an impelling culturally acquired concern, interest, or longing
the drive to succeed
c
: dynamic quality
his drive and enthusiasm overcame all obstacles—Times Literary Supplement
Times Literary Supplement8
computers
: a device for reading or writing on magnetic, optical, or electronic media (such as tapes, disks, or flash memory)
broadly
: memory sense 4
… the disk defragmenter doesn't just defrag a given drive… —Barry Brenesal
see also hard drive
Barry Brenesal 
Synonyms
Examples of drive in a Sentence
Verb
He drove the car down a bumpy road.
Do you want to drive or should I?
He is learning to drive.
The car stopped and then drove off.
A car drove by us slowly.
The bus slowly drove away.
We drove all night and arrived at dawn.
We drove 160 miles to get here.
I drive on this route every day.
I drive this route every day.
Noun
It's a two-hour drive to the beach.
Her house is an hour's drive east of Los Angeles.
We took a pleasant drive in the country.
Would you like to go for a drive?
A white car was parked in the drive.
See More
Recent Examples on the WebReuters, NBC News, 1 Dec. 2023
If posted, Williams will be on electronic monitoring and won't be able to drive or possess or consume any alcohol.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 1 Dec. 2023
Of course, such a turn of events has not been driven benignly.
—Harry G. Broadman, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
And after years of allowing criticism in the interest of allowing good-faith debates, Francis has come to the conclusion that some of the invective is simply politically and ideologically driven.
—Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 30 Nov. 2023
Curiosity is really one of the values that we are driven by.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 30 Nov. 2023
Most car enthusiasts have libraries devoted to automotive marques, the people who created them, or the motorsport heroes who drove them.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 30 Nov. 2023
They’re kind of driven by the lick and the vibes that Charlie creates.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 30 Nov. 2023
New car registrations in Europe rose in October, driven by demand in France, Italy and Spain, and a jump in fully-electric vehicle sales.
—David Sachs, WSJ, 21 Nov. 2023
James Nalton, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2023
Potentially more significant are subsidies paid to companies that manufacture batteries in the United States, part of a drive by the Biden administration to establish a domestic supply chain and reduce dependence on China.
—Jack Ewing, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2023
The layoffs are part of drive to cut $5.5 billion in costs across Disney, Iger said.
—Julian Mark, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2023
The 10,200-square-foot home sits at the end of a private drive.
—People Staff, Peoplemag, 8 Feb. 2023
Details sent to the company included the health and read / write values of the drive using CrystalDiskInfo, which is a program that can read the SMART data embedded in most hard disks.
—Umar Shakir, The Verge, 7 Feb. 2023
As part of the drive for efficiency, NHS managers were pressured to keep bed vacancies low.
—David Luhnow, WSJ, 6 Feb. 2023
America's employers added a robust 517,000 jobs in January, a surprisingly strong gain in the face of the Federal Reserve's aggressive drive to slow growth and tame inflation with higher interest rates.
—CBS News, 3 Feb. 2023
Then Hepburn came alive with a pair of three-pointers and crafty drive to help UW take a 35-34 lead with 11:32 left.
—Jeff Potrykus, Journal Sentinel, 28 Jan. 2023
See More
Verb
Next year could be worse, the scientists said, as El Niño’s impacts are likely to peak this winter and drive higher temperatures in 2024.
—Reuters, NBC News, 1 Dec. 2023
If posted, Williams will be on electronic monitoring and won't be able to drive or possess or consume any alcohol.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 1 Dec. 2023
Of course, such a turn of events has not been driven benignly.
—Harry G. Broadman, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
And after years of allowing criticism in the interest of allowing good-faith debates, Francis has come to the conclusion that some of the invective is simply politically and ideologically driven.
—Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 30 Nov. 2023
Curiosity is really one of the values that we are driven by.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 30 Nov. 2023
Most car enthusiasts have libraries devoted to automotive marques, the people who created them, or the motorsport heroes who drove them.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 30 Nov. 2023
They’re kind of driven by the lick and the vibes that Charlie creates.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 30 Nov. 2023
New car registrations in Europe rose in October, driven by demand in France, Italy and Spain, and a jump in fully-electric vehicle sales.
—David Sachs, WSJ, 21 Nov. 2023
Noun
One of drive, skill, and physicality, and the two midfielders both possess the engine to return to their defensive positions quickly when needed.
—James Nalton, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2023
Potentially more significant are subsidies paid to companies that manufacture batteries in the United States, part of a drive by the Biden administration to establish a domestic supply chain and reduce dependence on China.
—Jack Ewing, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2023
The layoffs are part of drive to cut $5.5 billion in costs across Disney, Iger said.
—Julian Mark, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2023
The 10,200-square-foot home sits at the end of a private drive.
—People Staff, Peoplemag, 8 Feb. 2023
Details sent to the company included the health and read / write values of the drive using CrystalDiskInfo, which is a program that can read the SMART data embedded in most hard disks.
—Umar Shakir, The Verge, 7 Feb. 2023
As part of the drive for efficiency, NHS managers were pressured to keep bed vacancies low.
—David Luhnow, WSJ, 6 Feb. 2023
America's employers added a robust 517,000 jobs in January, a surprisingly strong gain in the face of the Federal Reserve's aggressive drive to slow growth and tame inflation with higher interest rates.
—CBS News, 3 Feb. 2023
Then Hepburn came alive with a pair of three-pointers and crafty drive to help UW take a 35-34 lead with 11:32 left.
—Jeff Potrykus, Journal Sentinel, 28 Jan. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'drive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb and Noun
Middle English, from Old English drīfan; akin to Old High German trīban to drive
First Known Use
Verb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Noun
1685, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of drive was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing drive
Articles Related to drive
Dictionary Entries Near drive
Cite this Entry
“Drive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drive. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
drive
1 of 2 verb1
a
: to urge, push, or force onward
drive cattle
waves drove the boat ashore
b
: to cause to penetrate with force
drive a nail
2
a
: to direct the movement or course of (as a vehicle or animals drawing a vehicle)
b
: to move or transport in a vehicle
his father drove me home
3
: to set or keep in motion
drive machinery by electricity
4
: to carry through strongly
drive a bargain
5
a
: to force to act
driven by hunger to steal
b
: to project, inject, or impress forcefully
his last example drove the lesson home
6
: to bring into a specified condition
noise enough to drive a person crazy
7
: to force (a passage) by pressing or digging
8
: to move ahead rapidly or with great force
the rain was driving hard
9
a
: to hit (a ball or puck) with force
b
: to cause (a run or runner) to be scored in baseball
—usually used with in
drove in two runs
drive
2 of 2 noun1
: an act of driving: as
a
: a trip in a carriage or automobile
b
: a driving together of animals
c
: the guiding of logs downstream to a mill
d
: the act of driving a ball
e
: the flight of a ball
2
a
: driveway
b
: a public road (as in a park) for driving
3
: a long or forceful campaign
a charity drive
4
a
: an urgent or basic need or longing
b
: energetic quality
full of drive
5
a
: the means for giving motion to a machine or machine part
a chain drive
b
: the means by which the movement of an automotive vehicle is controlled and directed
front wheel drive
6
: a device for reading or writing data (as on magnetic tape or disks)
Medical Definition
drive
noun1
: an urgent, basic, or instinctual need : a motivating physiological condition of the organism
a sexual drive
2
: an impelling culturally acquired concern, interest, or longing
a drive for perfection
More from Merriam-Webster on drive
Nglish: Translation of drive for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of drive for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about drive
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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