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
Christopher Kamrani, New York Times, 24 July 2025
That amount drifted down to about 28 million on July 23.
—Ricardo Torres, jsonline.com, 23 July 2025
Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2025
Millions of Americans across four states have been urged to stay indoors and avoid strenuous activity this weekend as air quality plummets to dangerous levels and smoke drifts south from massive Canadian wildfires.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for drift
Verb
Football, meanwhile, was still drifting about in his mind.
—Christopher Kamrani, New York Times, 24 July 2025
That amount drifted down to about 28 million on July 23.
—Ricardo Torres, jsonline.com, 23 July 2025
Noun
Whether the rightward drift of young South Korean men is a temporary deviation or a more serious forecast for South Korea’s democracy is still an open question, according to Kim.
—Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2025
Millions of Americans across four states have been urged to stay indoors and avoid strenuous activity this weekend as air quality plummets to dangerous levels and smoke drifts south from massive Canadian wildfires.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for drift
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drift
Verb
-
All traffic flows through a single, unified policy engine with common enforcement points.—
Etay Maor,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
-
The mountain slopes tend to erode when saturated, especially after wildfires, resulting in potentially deadly debris flows.—
Andrew Freedman,
CNN Money,
24 July 2025
Verb
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Their postseason odds that year were hovering around 20 percent at the time, and the team proceeded to lose the next seven games after the deadline en route to a 73-89 season.—
Sam Blum,
New York Times,
30 July 2025
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Today, Baker’s market cap is hovering near $45 billion.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
29 July 2025
Verb
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Last year was the deadliest year recorded for children with autism who wandered, and nearly all in that record died from drowning, according to tracking from the association.—
Darcie Moran,
USA Today,
29 July 2025
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Each of the eight pet-friendly rooms has a different design, and guests can enjoy nearby restaurants and wander the surrounding Bellaire Court Historic District.—
Caroline Eubanks,
Travel + Leisure,
29 July 2025
Noun
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Before the season started, the idea of Ohtani returning to the mound for the Dodgers seemed like a quaint midseason development.—
Grant Brisbee,
New York Times,
22 July 2025
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After brushing back former Stanford teammate Kyle Stowers with his first pitch to him Sunday, Bubic induced a soft comebacker to the mound two pitches later, stranding runners on second and third to end the first inning.—
Steve Gorten,
Miami Herald,
20 July 2025
Noun
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Trying to stop it is like ordering the tides to stop.—
Matt O'Brien,
Chicago Tribune,
23 July 2025
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The job market is constantly shifting for Gen Z, and many of them are tired of trying to navigate the rising tides of change.—
Colleen Batchelder,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
Noun
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Such easy overlap between juror and filmmaker speaks to a wider festival goal toward building a real sense of community within the genre world.—
Ben Croll,
Variety,
14 July 2025
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Other migrant families have found the same sense of stability in the city of nearly 2 million inhabitants.—
Alexandra Mendoza,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 July 2025
Verb
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Wearing a protective mask after seriously injuring his face during a match in 2021, Victor Osimhen may as well have been gliding around with a cape for Napoli as the club won the Serie A title in 2022/23.—
Henry Flynn,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
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After four weeks of Venus in your sign boosting your magnetism and charm, Venus now glides into Cancer on July 30th, shifting your attention to security, self-worth, and material comfort.—
Dossé-Via Trenou,
Refinery29,
27 July 2025
Verb
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The sports arena floated as a solution to save the State Fair site never materialized, but new buildings did begin to replace the old on the fairgrounds, including a 1,000-seat amphitheater in 1974 and a new Coliseum in 1976.—
Chris Foran,
jsonline.com,
24 July 2025
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Musk originally floated the retro-diner concept in 2018, with city construction approvals for the Hollywood location secured in 2023.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drift.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drift. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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