1
as in to flow
to move or proceed smoothly and readily
casual conversation drifting from one topic to another
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to hover
to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air
the boat drifted along on the current
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to wander
to move about from place to place aimlessly
spent several years drifting from town to town, picking up odd jobs whenever he needed cash
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
2
as in tide
a prevailing or general movement or inclination
the steady drift of the population away from large cities
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in sense
the idea that is conveyed or intended to be conveyed to the mind by language, symbol, or action
you should expect a visit from the stork, if you get my drift
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of drift
Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
Anglers would cast three flies below a strike indicator, offering hungry trout a veritable buffet of options drifting downstream.
—Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 30 Oct. 2025
Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
Tinny chart tunes drift across the arena.
—Sean Williams, Outside, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drift
Verb
Warm waters fuel storms For four days, Melissa drifted over the Caribbean, its peak sustained winds averaging 50 mph.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025
Anglers would cast three flies below a strike indicator, offering hungry trout a veritable buffet of options drifting downstream.
—Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 30 Oct. 2025
Noun
Jazz seeps from Blue Note, meeting in the street to mingle with the fragrance of espressos and cappuccinos from Caffè Reggio, while men in Washington Square Park drift through clouds of smoke from their joints.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
Tinny chart tunes drift across the arena.
—Sean Williams, Outside, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drift
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drift
Verb
-
People pour in from the dense warrens of India’s financial capital and from dusty villages thousands of kilometers away, all flowing towards the fortified, sea-facing Mumbai home of actor Shah Rukh Khan.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Walk through the front door and the layout flows uninterrupted into multiple living areas highlighted by warm cherry wood accents, fine architectural details and an abundance of natural light.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
But the dark cloud that’s been hovering over the Flyers’ generally solid first month of the season — the lack of production from Michkov — may have finally started to lift.—
Kevin Kurz,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Designer Chad Graci applied it to living-room ceilings of a private residence at the Four Seasons in New Orleans, where the lacquer hovers overhead like a shimmering pond.—
Kathryn O’Shea-Evans,
Robb Report,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Rio has several bairros, or neighborhoods, but Barros prefers to wander the winding streets of the bohemian Santa Teresa neighborhood, a hilly district with an artistic vibe, colonial architecture, and panoramic views of the city.—
Dobrina Zhekova,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
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Kyle MacLachlan was wandering around the Paramour Estate in Silver Lake, the lavish former home of silent film star Antonio Moreno and his wife and oil heiress Daisey Canfield last night.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
But the 2015 international signing out of Venezuela never got his chance to reach the Fenway Park mound, despite emphatic praise from manager Alex Cora for Mata's performance in spring training this year.—
Jon Vankin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
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Coral fanatics will love visiting Negril, home to mountainous coral mounds and ethereal swim-through caves where green and red soft corals hang down like mystical fingers.—
Adrienne Jordan,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
To have the chance to turn the tide.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Fully understanding how weather, flows, tides, and a plethora of other factors will help or hurt a bite are probably beyond your novice’s experience level.—
The Editors,
Outdoor Life,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Filler shots of chauffeurs, champagne and colossal walk-in closets with pristine designer clobber glistening and gleaming from glass shelves centred around trays and trays of priceless jewels assault the viewer’s senses between almost every scene.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
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For all the fans’ cries for the team to go all in, there’s still the matter of dollars and sense.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The nozzle pours a thick stream of concrete while gliding precisely on its course, stacking each layer, one after another, about an inch thick.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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China has deployed and tested hypersonic glide vehicles and road-mobile systems, such as the DF-17/DF-ZF family, which are typically characterized as gliding at Mach 5–10 and designed to complicate missile-defense engagement.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
This is a type of vertigo that happens when canaliths, which are small pieces of calcium, are floating inside your inner ear canals.—
Jakob Roze,
Health,
2 Nov. 2025
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Add texture to beds, couches, and chairs with a plush faux rabbit fur throw blanket, incorporate a pop of color with a throw pillow, and dress up your walls with practical floating shelves or sconces.—
Rachel Trujillo,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drift.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drift. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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