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 combined success of these blockbusters — not to mention the droves of smaller-scale films doing their part — has helped vault the domestic box office back to numbers many prognosticators thought were ancient history. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Aug. 2026

Hugh Butler’s triple drove in the first run and Alex Abelson had an RBI single. — Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026

The bust, however, began as soon as the early 1880s and droves of residents began to leave. — Kieron Marchese, Architectural Digest, 27 July 2026

Video from The Associated Press showed protesters gathering together to push over the tall yellow barricades and sometimes climbing atop them as droves of Delhi Police stood guard in riot gear. — Connor Greene, Time, 22 July 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

• 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"