DRIFTED Synonyms: 86 Similar and Opposite Words

drifted

verb

past tense of drift

as in flowed

to move or proceed smoothly and readily casual conversation drifting from one topic to another

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in hovered

to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air the boat drifted along on the current

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of drifted The Rams did secure one interception on Purdy, when Quentin Lake drifted back into zone and Purdy tried to force a ball to Evans and threw it right at Lake. — Nate Atkins, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 The impact jostled loose a few petals before the circle of blossoms slowly drifted away on the luminescent blue Bermudian swells. — Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026 Despite small planes taking off and landing nearby, the floating aircraft was nearly silent as is drifted closer and closer to the ground. — Irene Wright, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026 The smoke has drifted as far as the Philippines, more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) away, and breached Malaysia's emergency-level threshold, forcing authorities to declare an emergency last week in a town in Sarawak state on Borneo Island. — ABC News, 9 Sep. 2026 As the ’90s wore on, Rosales drifted away from the party crew scene and picked up the guitar. — Myriam Gurba, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026 Plumes of smoke have also drifted into the neighboring countries of Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026 Lizzie and O’Neil also drifted apart as the actress continued touring with her theater company. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026 The vehicle drifted to the right toward the shoulder, struck the woman and continued south on Franklin Boulevard, according to the CHP. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drifted

Verb

For generations, Christian mission flowed primarily from Europe and North America to Africa.

— Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
About 20 million barrels of Gulf oil flowed through the strait prior to the start of the war.

— Aamer Madhani, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of flowed

Verb

Talley then wandered out of the media center, looking down at her phone and trying to find her friends.

— Caoimhe O'Neill, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
One of the earliest deaths came in 1926, when a 3-year-old wandered from his home on Narragansett Avenue and fell to his demise.

— Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of wandered

Verb

And, truth be told, this Philadelphia team has floated relatively under the radar for years because championships weren’t expected.

— Tony Jones, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Coleman fired off the line of scrimmage, running a wheel route when quarterback Cam Miller floated the ball his way.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of floated

Verb

For millions of years, Pacific mastodons — huge, hairy relatives of modern elephants — roamed a vast and lush range that included California, Oregon, the northern Rocky Mountains and parts of Mexico.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
The coyote, known to neighbors as Wendy, roamed a Studio City neighborhood for about a year with an extremely swollen face before wildlife and animal rescue groups captured her last week.

— Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of roamed

Verb

The pinkish squid glided two miles beneath the surface, its long, pale legs trailing from undulating fins, stunning scientists who know remarkably little about its diet, behavior or reproduction.

— Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Merino glided away from challenges to keep Arsenal in control.

— Thom Harris, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of glided

Verb

Thinking the only safe way to get Sandra out would be by breaking a window, Joe swam through the kitchen and escaped out the back doorway.

— Ren Larson, ProPublica, 2 Sep. 2026
All but one happened between June and mid-September as people sat under a tree in a park, swam at the beach and rode bikes through a neighborhood.

— Julia Gomez, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of swam

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“Drifted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drifted. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of drifted

verb

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