1
: carried out from a moving vehicle
a drive-by shooting
2
: done or made in a quick or cursory manner
Examples of drive-by in a Sentence
Adjective
the administrator's schedule left her with no time to make more than a drive-by assessment of the situation
Recent Examples on the Web
Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2025
In a May court filing, Hernandez Troutman described how the sheriff's office seized that woman's 2018 Nissan Altima after her boyfriend was the victim of a drive-by shooting.
—Josh Wood, Louisville Courier Journal, 19 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for drive-by
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Adjective
Authorities have arrested a suspect and are working to determine a motive after bullets zipped through the windows of a local Sacramento TV station in what city police described as a drive-by shooting on Friday afternoon.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2025
In a May court filing, Hernandez Troutman described how the sheriff's office seized that woman's 2018 Nissan Altima after her boyfriend was the victim of a drive-by shooting.
—Josh Wood, Louisville Courier Journal, 19 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for drive-by
Cite this Entry
“Drive-by.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drive-by. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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