1
a
: to direct the movement of (a car, truck, bus, etc.)
He drove the car down a bumpy road.
She drives a taxi. [=her job is driving a taxi]
Do you want to drive or should I?
He is learning to drive.
b
always followed by an adverb or preposition of a car, truck, etc.
: to move in a specified manner or direction
The car stopped and then drove off.
A car drove by us slowly.
The bus slowly drove away.
c
: to travel in a car
We drove all night and arrived at dawn.
Are you driving or flying to Canada? [=will you travel to Canada by car or airplane?]
We drove (for) eight hours yesterday.
We drove 160 miles to get here.
I drive on/along this route every day.
I drive this route every day.
d
: to take (someone or something) to a place in a car, truck, etc.
I drove her to the train station this morning.
I had to drive myself to the hospital.
Her mom drove us home.
e
: to own and use (a vehicle of a specified kind)
He drives a pickup/motorcycle.
She drives a Ford.
2
: to move (people or animals) to or from a place by using force
Cowboys drove the herds across the prairie.
They drove the invaders back across the border.
Thousands of people have been driven from their homes. [=have been forced to leave their homes]
3
: to push (something) with force
drive a nail with a hammer
—often + intoHe drove a nail into the wall.
She drove the sword into her enemy's side.
4
: to make (a machine or vehicle) work or move : to provide power for (something)
Electricity drives the machinery.
a steam-driven turbine [=a turbine that gets its power from steam]
—often used figurativelyWhat drives the economy?
a market-driven industry
5
a
: to cause (someone) to behave in a particular way
They were driven [=motivated] by hunger to steal.
Poverty drove them to a life of crime.
Ambition drove her to succeed.
b
: to force (someone) to work very hard
The sergeant drove the recruits.
The team was driven hard by the coach.
He's been driving himself too hard. [=he's been working too hard]
6
: to bring (someone) into a particular condition
That noise is driving me insane/crazy.
The new store drove him out of business. [=caused him to go out of business]
Her perfume drives me wild. [=gets me sexually excited]
7
: to cause (a price, number, etc.) to increase or decrease
—+ up or down
The government report drove stock prices up.
An increase in investments is driving down interest rates.
8
sports
: to move toward or through something with a lot of force or speed
He took a pass and drove to/toward the basket/net.
The running back drove through the line of scrimmage.
9
sports
: to hit or kick (a ball or puck) with a lot of force or speed
She drove the (golf) ball down the fairway.
He drove the puck into the net.
10
of rain, wind, etc.
: to fall or blow with great force
The rain drove against the windows.
plural drives
1
: a journey in a car
It's a two-hour drive to the beach.
Her house is an hour's drive east of Los Angeles.
We took a pleasant drive in the country.
Would you like to go for a drive?
2
: a hard area or small road outside of a house where cars can be parked : driveway
A white car was parked in the drive.
3
—used in the name of some public roads
Morningside Drive
They live at 156 Woodland Drive.
—abbr. Dr.
4
: an effort made by a group of people to achieve a goal, to collect money, etc.
a fund-raising drive
The school holds a canned food drive every winter.
a membership drive [=an effort to get more people to join a group, club, etc.]
5
: a strong natural need or desire
The need for food and water are basic drives for all living things.
Sex drive [=the desire to have sex] generally decreases as you get older.
6
: a strong desire for success
She is an ambitious young woman, full of drive and determination.
7
: a device in a computer that can read information off and copy information onto disks or tape
Insert the disk into the floppy drive.
a CD-ROM drive
8
a
: the way power from an engine controls and directs the movement of a vehicle
The car has front-wheel/rear-wheel drive.
b
chiefly US
: a condition in which the gears of a vehicle are working in a way that allows the vehicle to move forward
He put the car in/into drive and pulled onto the street.
9
a
sports
: a ball, puck, etc., that is hit very hard
He hit a hard/long drive down the left-field line.
b
golf
: a long shot that is hit from a tee
She hit her drive into the rough.
10
: a long or forceful military attack on an enemy
an armored drive into enemy territory
11
American football
: a series of plays that move the ball down the field toward the opponent's end zone
They scored a touchdown following a ten-play drive.
12
: an act of leading cattle or sheep over land and keeping them in a group
a cattle drive
Cite this Entry
“Drive.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/drive. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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