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
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of drift
EW.com, 16 June 2025
Aside from drifting on corners, players can now Wall Ride, Rail Ride and Charge Jump.
—Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 12 June 2025
Michael Cox, New York Times, 1 June 2025
Once seen as a demographic firmly aligned with Democrats, younger Americans are showing signs of drift and are increasingly warming to Trump's message, polls show.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for drift
Verb
But that doesn't mean he's drifted too far from his father.
—EW.com, 16 June 2025
Aside from drifting on corners, players can now Wall Ride, Rail Ride and Charge Jump.
—Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 12 June 2025
Noun
The job of tracking Nandor Hidegkuti — whose drifts into deep positions had flummoxed England in Hungary’s famous 6-3 win at Wembley the previous year — was handed to midfielder Horst Eckel rather than a defender.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 1 June 2025
Once seen as a demographic firmly aligned with Democrats, younger Americans are showing signs of drift and are increasingly warming to Trump's message, polls show.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for drift
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drift
Verb
-
That's the sport that needs a rule change - everything flows from that.—
Mike Vorkunov,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
-
Tears were flowing, and Huda questioned why America would decide to split them up.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
18 June 2025
Verb
-
Overnight temperatures are forecast to be hovering near 80 degrees.—
Daniel Manzo,
ABC News,
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
-
Shohei Ohtani will return to the mound on Monday night when the Los Angeles Dodgers take on the San Diego Padres in what is set to be his first pitching appearance since Aug. 23, 2023.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2025
-
The work began in earnest when McFarlane returned to the mound with Low-A Clearwater and continues now during an up-and-down High-A season, his ERA sitting at 5.72 and his record 0-6 through 11 starts.—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
16 June 2025
Noun
-
But the tide started to change when Florida found themselves in penalty trouble.—
Cameron Priester,
Sun Sentinel,
13 June 2025
-
The end result of all this is…a young girl died in a cave because of the tide.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
13 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
-
The writers and creators tried to play down that side and ramp up Lucy’s sense of agency.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
20 June 2025
Verb
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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
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Things like random number generators, small math errors (called floating point issues) or even delays in hardware (like GPUs) can all make AI answers change, even if the input stays the same.—
Saurabh Sarkar,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
-
The alien designs are suitably weird and inspired, from the mind-reading floating manta ray Questa (Jameela Jamil) to the rock monster Tegmen (Matthias Schweighöfer).—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
17 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drift.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drift. Accessed 29 Jun. 2025.
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