1
as in flowed
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 hovered
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 wandered
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of drifted
As the conversation drifted more into the realm of Davidon’s personal life and show business career, a publicist appeared on the Zoom and tried to steer things back to the brand.
—
Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 16 Apr. 2026
The recovery team waited for go-time in a small, inflatable boat as the capsule drifted down with the help of several sets of parachutes.
—Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 16 Apr. 2026
Oil prices drifted up and down Wednesday and showed that caution remains in financial markets.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026
The sensory experience inside stores also drifted from the original coffeehouse vision.
—Nick El Hajj, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
The heart of the book may be her alternately exasperated and loving relationship with her parents, Simmons and fellow artist Carroll Dunham, and her sibling, Cyrus, who drifted away for a time when the fallout from Dunham’s fame became too much.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2026
The baseball drifted away from Collins.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 14 Apr. 2026
But her heart drifted toward other activities — usually whatever her brother Treston Brazile was doing, like baseball, soccer, and basketball.
—Charles Baggarly
april 7, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Apr. 2026
Hooker drifted four miles toward Marsh Harbour, Abaco.
—Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2026
Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 16 Apr. 2026
The recovery team waited for go-time in a small, inflatable boat as the capsule drifted down with the help of several sets of parachutes.
—Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 16 Apr. 2026
Oil prices drifted up and down Wednesday and showed that caution remains in financial markets.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2026
The sensory experience inside stores also drifted from the original coffeehouse vision.
—Nick El Hajj, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
The heart of the book may be her alternately exasperated and loving relationship with her parents, Simmons and fellow artist Carroll Dunham, and her sibling, Cyrus, who drifted away for a time when the fallout from Dunham’s fame became too much.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2026
The baseball drifted away from Collins.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 14 Apr. 2026
But her heart drifted toward other activities — usually whatever her brother Treston Brazile was doing, like baseball, soccer, and basketball.
—Charles Baggarly
april 7, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Apr. 2026
Hooker drifted four miles toward Marsh Harbour, Abaco.
—Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drifted
Verb
-
As the town assessed damages and began to recover, community support flowed in; the fire department offered hot meals to volunteers, utility companies set up free charging and WiFi stations and contractors distributed care packages for those affected.—
Adriana Pérez,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Apr. 2026
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Trails thread through remnants of the same ancient sea that once also flowed over South Dakota's Badlands National Park—keep an eye out for fossils.—
Julia Sayers Gokhale,
Midwest Living,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Water levels hovered around 7 inches below the top of the dam Saturday at the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex in Northern Michigan, after having spiked less than 6 inches from the top of the dam earlier in the week.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
-
The Brent Crude front month contract hovered around $90, down more than 5% from just hours earlier, as Wall Street got set to open for trading.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And his mind has wandered, naturally, to old teammates who could become new again.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
19 Apr. 2026
-
In February 2019, a few weeks after celebrating her 100th birthday, Mildred Hernandez, a resident with Alzheimer's, wandered out of Greenhaven in the middle of the night.—
Jordan Rau,
NPR,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But even before that nautical narrative of a reality show sailed into his life, the Australia native spent 30 years in the shipping/boating/charter industries.—
Rod Stafford Hagwood,
Sun Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex then sailed around Sydney Harbor with Invictus Australia.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The agency has floated the idea of transitioning special-education services to Health and Human Services—the department, McMahon pointed out, that oversaw special education before Ed existed.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Some Republicans have also floated adding more defense funding and a change to capital gains taxes to adjust for inflation.—
Cate Martel,
The Hill,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Neanderthals mostly lived in Europe, while more recent additions to the family, the Denisovans, roamed Asia.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Soon, Norton Tire outfitted most of the 20,000 cars that roamed the young city’s streets by the early 1930s.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And the crowd stayed to watch as six hundred young skiers—many of whom were little girls, with glitter on their cheeks—glided around the ski track in the stadium and then stood there in a phalanx, an honor guard as Diggins took a ceremonial last lap.—
Bill McKibben,
New Yorker,
24 Mar. 2026
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After Joel Edmundson stepped up to hit Benson, Carrick scooped up the loose puck and glided across the crease for a backhand goal.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Immediately, a 15-foot great white swam straight toward us.—
Michael H Gavshon,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
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Elsewhere in the photoshoot, Hosk swam in a pool, clad in a white graphic T-shirt and black underwear.—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drifted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drifted. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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