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
Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2025
Detective Hwang Jun-ho’s (Wi Ha-jun) procedural-like quest to follow Gi-hun back to the island, in hopes of shutting down the abhorrent competition and confronting his brother the Front Man, dominated the first two episodes; once the games began, Jun-ho and his crew mostly drifted around, lost.
—Judy Berman, Time, 27 June 2025
Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2025
Hubble's data points to a slow inward drift of dust from Uranus' distant irregular moons, which orbit between 2.5 to 13 million miles (4 to 20 million kilometers) from the planet.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for drift
Verb
The Mandalay fire caused heavy, drifting smoke, which prompted 911 calls from concerned residents, the Riverside Fire Department said on Facebook.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2025
Detective Hwang Jun-ho’s (Wi Ha-jun) procedural-like quest to follow Gi-hun back to the island, in hopes of shutting down the abhorrent competition and confronting his brother the Front Man, dominated the first two episodes; once the games began, Jun-ho and his crew mostly drifted around, lost.
—Judy Berman, Time, 27 June 2025
Noun
Chicago’s 10 largest snowfalls since 1886 — and how the Tribune covered them
Chicago’s 10 largest blizzards come with deep drifts of uniquely Chicago stories.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2025
Hubble's data points to a slow inward drift of dust from Uranus' distant irregular moons, which orbit between 2.5 to 13 million miles (4 to 20 million kilometers) from the planet.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for drift
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drift
Verb
-
The case is likely to join a string of recent rulings from the Supreme Court's conservative majority that have unraveled campaign finance limits as violations of the First Amendment, allowing more money to flow into politics.—
June 30,
CBS News,
30 June 2025
-
The tears of relief flowed as Ivanisevic climbed up the stadium to embrace his father.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Verb
-
The heat index hovered around 100 degrees for several hours.—
Mike Stunson,
Kansas City Star,
23 June 2025
-
Oil prices need to hover around $65 a barrel for energy producers to profitably drill new wells, according to another Dallas Fed survey.—
Kate Marijolovic,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 June 2025
Verb
-
So a guineafowl moving at a slow jog of 1 km/h (0.6 mph) – roughly the pace of a wandering toddler – through Alexander's formula would be estimated as 4.7 km/h (2.9 mph).—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 June 2025
-
Guests are invited to wander the gardens, join sourdough baking classes, and basically geek out on where their food comes from.—
Lanee Lee,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
Noun
-
Toronto now owns a 6-2 advantage over Boston in the season series, and the Red Sox will look to bounce back and snap their skid on Saturday when Lucas Giolito (3-1, 4.53) takes the mound against Chris Bassitt (7-3, 3.61).—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
28 June 2025
-
Warren, a friend and former teammate of his in the Los Angeles Angels system, jogged out to the mound.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
27 June 2025
Noun
-
However, Schaeffer’s fiery response to Freeman’s strikeout clearly turned the tides in his dugout.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
29 June 2025
-
While the rising tide of corporate sustainability is creating worldwide big wave patterns, JCK and the Kering Group are surfing those waves together.—
Kyle Roderick,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
Noun
-
There is not an American President—Bill Clinton, George H. W. or George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, or Donald Trump—who has dealt with Netanyahu and not, sooner or later, come away with a lingering sense of resentment.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
21 June 2025
-
In a sense, the job search should be treated like a personal marketing campaign, Zeile suggested.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
20 June 2025
Verb
-
And Lamont clearly had no plan to endorse him, even as some prominent Democrats have slowly glided back to Cuomo’s orbit.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
24 June 2025
-
Its jet-black formula glides on with inky precision and dries down to a bulletproof finish that stays sharp for up to 24 hours (yes, really).—
Angela Trakoshis,
Allure,
23 June 2025
Verb
-
The president floated backing a primary challenger to the North Carolina GOP senator on Saturday after Tillis voted against advancing Trump’s tax and spending cuts bill, which is loaded up with steeper cuts to Medicaid than the House’s version.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
29 June 2025
-
Steve Mnuchin, Trump’s treasury secretary during his first term in office, also floated the idea of purchasing the app with a group of billionaire investors when the ban was first passed.—
Zachary Folk,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drift.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drift. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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