1
as in flowing
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 floating
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 wandering
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
as in ranging
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drifting
Verb
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The chance for precipitation is hovering around 60% as of Saturday morning and rainfall amounts are expected to reach between a tenth and quarter of an inch, the forecast shows.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
22 Mar. 2025 -
To the north, Canada also slipped down the ladder but remains well ahead of the US, coming in at 18 after hovering around 15 for the last few years.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Spend your days absorbing its wartime history, wandering the outdoor markets, dining on seafood, rejuvenating at a spa, or hiking secluded coastal trails before lolling on the white-sand beaches.—
Peggy Orenstein,
AFAR Media,
6 Jan. 2025
-
Cohen and colleagues have published several studies showing an increase in the polar vortex stretching or wandering.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
4 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Whetstone sharpening involves soaking a low-to-high grit stone in water and gliding a dull blade up and down it at an angle, removing steel to create a sharp edge.—
Ahmed Ali Akbar,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2025
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With Neptune gliding through your third house of communication, learning and mental processes, everything from your thoughts to the dynamics of your inner circles will undergo a subtle but powerful transformation.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
30 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Don’t really care about awards, but sense some irony or hypocrisy floating around.—
Scott Powers,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
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Within the past few days, San Francisco Bay has also seen an increase in sightings of dead gray whales, beginning with a female gray whale that was first reported floating near Alcatraz Island on March 29.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
People.com,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
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According to Smithsonian, the institute’s idyllic backdrop, with open fields where patients could imagine animals roaming free, helped convince the doctor's dozens of patients that her practices were legit.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
5 Jan. 2025
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Between 2001 and 2004, there were so many shootings in Vancouver-area clubs that gang police started roaming through bars, throwing out anyone who looked like a drug dealer.—
Jesse Hyde,
Rolling Stone,
4 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Of the other methods – including electrocution, lethal gas and hanging – lethal injection had the highest botch rate of more than 7%. ‘An embrace of brutality’ Still, states have remained averse to the firing squad, a position that experts who spoke to CNN believe stems from its overt violence.—
Dakin Andone,
CNN Money,
10 Apr. 2025
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The neutral material keeps it from looking like an eye sore and can be expanded for more hanging space as needed.—
Micaela Arnett,
Rolling Stone,
10 Jan. 2024
Verb
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After ten days of cruising Antarctic waters, dodging icebergs, and spotting elephant seals, the cruise’s 140 passengers could toss their Dramamine, catch a plane from the gravel runway at Frei Station research base, and fly straight back to Chile.—
Blair Braverman,
Condé Nast Traveler,
24 Dec. 2024
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Starting at $203,000, the Sportster 25 Surf is the company’s newest, smallest, and sportiest boat, engineered for wake-surfers skilled enough to bob behind a boat cruising at 11 miles per hour.—
Jaclyn Trop,
Robb Report,
24 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Refine your key points to be clear and concise—no rambling monologues.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
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In the early morning hours of Dec. 26, 1996, Patsy Ramsey called 911 to report her 6-year-old daughter JonBenét missing, and found a rambling ransom note left inside their Boulder, Colorado, home.—
Erin Moriarty,
CBS News,
20 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Drifting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drifting. Accessed 24 Jul. 2025.
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