drove

1 of 2

noun

ˈdrōv 

1

: a group of animals driven or moving in a body

2

: a large number : crowd

—usually used in plural especially with in

came in droves

drove

2 of 2

past tense of drive

Synonyms of drove

Noun

• flock
• swarm
• throng
• crowd
• horde

Examples of drove in a Sentence

Noun

people flocked to the annual festival in droves

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The company’s brand has already suffered greatly under Musk’s leadership, with droves of potential buyers being pushed away by his inflammatory rhetoric and embrace of far-right ideals. —Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 5 Feb. 2026

But that Kalshi will be able to interest its droves of sports bettors in other markets is by no means guaranteed. —Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2026

His arrival to the team hotel a night earlier prompted chaotic-but-euphoric scenes from droves of fervent supporters hoping to catch a glimpse of him on the team bus. —Gianfranco Panizo, Miami Herald, 1 Feb. 2026

Sanders moved to Vermont, year-round and for good, in 1968, when droves of young people from all over the country headed for the hills. —Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English drāf, from drīfan to drive — more at drive

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing drove

• drove him to an early grave

Rhymes for drove

• clove
• cove
• rove
• shrove
• stove
• strove
• throve
• trove
• wove
• alcove
• mangrove

Kids Definition

drove

1 of 2 noun

ˈdrōv 

1

: a group of animals driven or moving in a body

2

: a crowd of people moving or acting together

drove

2 of 2

past of drive

Etymology

Noun

Old English drāf "group of animals moving together," from drīfan "to drive"