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 Aragon, which later generations experienced mainly as a shabby, sticky home for loud rock music, was once the North Side’s hub for romance, where young men and women came in droves to dance to mellow music in an elegant atmosphere. — Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026

Diners who would normally not venture to this neighborhood are coming in droves for the comfortable, cheffy takes on gastropub cuisine. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 July 2026

Jesús Luzardo allowed two hits in seven innings and struck out 11, Justin Crawford's base hit in the eighth inning drove in the game's only run and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Cincinnati Reds 1-0 in a pitcher's duel on Thursday night. — ABC News, 9 July 2026

The parkway was evacuated Saturday evening while droves of people were still in line to enter due to approaching thunderstorms. — Kaitlyn McCormick, USA Today, 6 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"