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
So Prairie View drifted into the night, and Tampa glowed for the Gators.
—
Noah White, Miami Herald, 21 Mar. 2026
Using magnetic traces from ancient pieces of Earth’s crust, researchers found that a chunk of what is now Western Australia drifted toward the magnetic north pole over a few million years, as part of South Africa remained stationary.
—Marissa Grunes, Scientific American, 19 Mar. 2026
Rank-and-file traders—dismissed by OGs as tourists—either panic-sold, drifted toward shinier obsessions like AI and prediction markets, or quietly shed the identity of crypto bro altogether.
—Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 17 Mar. 2026
Keenan had spent time in the Peace Corps and had drifted around the world afterward, coming away with the conception that Americans’ ignorance of other cultures had led the country directly into the wood chipper of Vietnam.
—Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2026
The engine compartment caught fire, and the smell of smoke drifted through the building, which includes an early childhood education center.
—Nouran Salahieh, CNN Money, 14 Mar. 2026
Although the poll has drifted back to Earth, its most recent poll has Harris at a mere 8%, 27 points below Newsom.
—Keith Naughton, The Washington Examiner, 14 Mar. 2026
Five-year-olds cannot evaluate the accuracy of what they’re told, don’t understand privacy, and may not recognize when a conversation has drifted somewhere inappropriate.
—Gerald Bradshaw, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
Her eyes drifted to some unseen point off camera.
—Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
Noah White, Miami Herald, 21 Mar. 2026
Using magnetic traces from ancient pieces of Earth’s crust, researchers found that a chunk of what is now Western Australia drifted toward the magnetic north pole over a few million years, as part of South Africa remained stationary.
—Marissa Grunes, Scientific American, 19 Mar. 2026
Rank-and-file traders—dismissed by OGs as tourists—either panic-sold, drifted toward shinier obsessions like AI and prediction markets, or quietly shed the identity of crypto bro altogether.
—Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 17 Mar. 2026
Keenan had spent time in the Peace Corps and had drifted around the world afterward, coming away with the conception that Americans’ ignorance of other cultures had led the country directly into the wood chipper of Vietnam.
—Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2026
The engine compartment caught fire, and the smell of smoke drifted through the building, which includes an early childhood education center.
—Nouran Salahieh, CNN Money, 14 Mar. 2026
Although the poll has drifted back to Earth, its most recent poll has Harris at a mere 8%, 27 points below Newsom.
—Keith Naughton, The Washington Examiner, 14 Mar. 2026
Five-year-olds cannot evaluate the accuracy of what they’re told, don’t understand privacy, and may not recognize when a conversation has drifted somewhere inappropriate.
—Gerald Bradshaw, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
Her eyes drifted to some unseen point off camera.
—Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drifted
Verb
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Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps has declared the Strait of Hormuz — a waterway through which around 20% of the world's crude oil supply flowed until the war — closed to any ships not explicitly granted permission by Tehran, warning of a severe response for any violators.—
Ramy Inocencio,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
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Some $469 million has flowed into the ETF just since Jan 1.—
Michelle Fox,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Prices for brent crude, the global oil benchmark, hovered around $110 a barrel Friday morning, while bond yields shot up.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
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The school district’s enrollment has hovered around 14,650 students for the past decade, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Colorado has 18 wolves outfitted with collars, plus pups and others that wandered from neighboring states.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
30 Mar. 2026
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Owners stood beside their cars on the lawn, residents and visitors wandered freely through the park, and hot rods shared space with antiques and other classic automobiles.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For cruisers who have sailed on Icon-class ships previously, returning features like the Pearl kinetic art sculpture, the open-air Central Park, the AquaTheater and Absolute Zero will all feel familiar.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 Mar. 2026
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The vessels — the CSCL Indian Ocean and CSCL Arctic Ocean — sailed out of the Gulf in close formation and are now moving at elevated speed toward the Gulf of Oman, MarineTraffic data indicates.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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She’s viewed as one of the most progressive members of the House of Representatives and has been floated as a potential candidate in either the 2028 presidential race or as a challenger to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, also a Democrat.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
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Mamdani has also floated the idea of raising taxes on wealthy New Yorkers, a proposal Hochul has resisted.—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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It's estimated 60 million bison once roamed North America, but they were nearly driven to extinction in the 1800s, and by 1889, there were only a few hundred wild bison remained.—
Madeline Bartos,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
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In Comal County just north of San Antonio, Bender’s Cave is yielding an unprecedented look at the megafauna that once roamed the region around 100,000 years ago.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
26 Mar. 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
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The journey had taken him 8 meters (26 feet) beneath the surface, where sunlight filtered through the Arctic ice and fish swam around a rock formation.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
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Earlier this month, Esparza swam the anchor leg on three relay teams that won gold medals at the NCAA Division II national finals in Evansville, Indiana.—
Walter Villa,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drifted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drifted. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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