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

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

And if hair growth is a concern, droves of shoppers recommend this Pura D’or shampoo and conditioner duo that’s fortified with biotin to encourage fuller, healthier-looking hair. —Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025

Debates have raged in the busy industry program, standby ticket queues have snaked outside venues for the hottest premieres and the stars — in their droves — have been out in force and on major charm offensives, with distributors using the fest to launch both awards and release campaigns. —Alex Ritman, Variety, 17 Oct. 2025

Gen Zers in their droves are ditching college to become their own boss. —Jessica Coacci, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2025

The word spread like wildfire across social media, sending droves of Swifties to her website. —Hadley Hitson, Nashville Tennessean, 10 Oct. 2025

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

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"