drive-by

1 of 2

adjective

1
: carried out from a moving vehicle
a drive-by shooting
2
: done or made in a quick or cursory manner

drive-by

2 of 2

noun

plural drive-bys
: a drive-by shooting

Examples of drive-by in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Bartlett’s younger brother Tauren — a rapper who goes by the name Trench Baby — was also charged in both incidents; a month later, in November 2023, Tauren Bartlett was charged with felony murder in connection to a June 2023 drive-by shooting. Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2024 The Broward Sheriff’s Office released a video Monday that shows when a 10-year-old boy was shot in a drive-by shooting near a park last month — with the hopes that people recognize the shooter or the car. Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2024 Industry legends Tupac Shakur, signed to Death Row, and Notorious B.I.G., a Bad Boy artist, both died in drive-by shootings before the end of the decade. Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 5 Apr. 2024 The victims in the two separate cases were Victoria Barrios, 18, who was fatally wounded in a drive-by shooting in Santa Ana in 2019, and Alan Jay Schwalbe, 61, who was stabbed to death in his home in Costa Mesa in 1993. Tyrone Beason, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024 Unfortunately, he was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in 1996, the case still remains unsolved. Okla Jones, Essence, 26 Mar. 2024 During the pandemic in 2020, Harden told PEOPLE Now that the family held a drive-by birthday party for the twins' 16th birthdays. Emily Blackwood, Peoplemag, 25 Mar. 2024 Two minors were injured in a drive-by shooting in west Tempe on Thursday evening. Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 23 Mar. 2024 Now some families are afraid to sit outside or go get food Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, was found on August 1 with multiple gunshot wounds by officers who responded to reports of a drive-by shooting, according to the complaint. Eric Levenson, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024
Noun
There’s a confidence to running your restaurant in a neighborhood that doesn’t rely on tourists, window shoppers or drive-by traffic. Mara Severin | Eating Out, Anchorage Daily News, 24 Mar. 2023 According to The Columbian, at the time of his arrest Sunday, Warren was out on bail after being charged with drive-by shooting, assault and felony harassment; he is accused of firing a gun at Melendez's apartment earlier this month. Tristan Balagtas, Peoplemag, 23 Mar. 2023 He was charged with drive-by shooting, second-degree assault with a deadly weapon, gross misdemeanor harassment with bodily injury and two counts of fourth-degree assault. Savannaheadens, oregonlive, 23 Mar. 2023 Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials on Tuesday announced a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the drive-by killing of the father of former NBA player Richard Jefferson 4½ years ago. Paul Pringle, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2023 One of three suspects charged in the fatal drive-by shooting of a Huntsville toddler five years ago was convicted Wednesday of capital murder. Howard Koplowitz | Hkoplowitz@al.com, al, 22 Mar. 2023 With the highway running through it, Atoka already has more drive-by traffic than those towns. Priya Krishna, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2023 The pair usually do a drive-by perusal of the blossoms but decided to make a day of it this year. Marvin Joseph, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2023 Three weeks later, he was arrested in connection with a drive-by shooting near a Tacoma, Wash., shopping mall. The Indianapolis Star, 17 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'drive-by.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1968, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1977, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of drive-by was in 1968

Dictionary Entries Near drive-by

Cite this Entry

“Drive-by.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drive-by. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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