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

Spring is a quieter time to visit the historic town of St Andrews, Scotland — a one-hour train ride from Edinburgh — missing the droves of tourists and golfers of summer and early fall. —Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026

There’s no denying that firms are laying off droves of employees, and there’s also no denying that many of them are openly enthusiastic about AI. —Frank Landymore, Futurism, 4 Mar. 2026

From there, Jorian Wilson pinch hit for Kiel II and hit a double that drove in another run before Sorrell's single drove in Wilson for the Aggies' 21st run of the game. —Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 24 Feb. 2026

Additionally, the city's new WNBA team, the Portland Fire, will kick off its first season in May, drawing droves of fans to The Sports Bra. —Matt Ortile, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Feb. 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"