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
1
as in ranging
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in flowing
to move or proceed smoothly and readily
casual conversation drifting from one topic to another
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of drift
Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2025
After all, who wouldn’t want to drift to sleep with a silk eye mask that’s filled with lavender?
—Isabel Garcia, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
Tinny chart tunes drift across the arena.
—Sean Williams, Outside, 27 Oct. 2025
Mark Ellwood, AFAR Media, 7 Nov. 2025
My attention kept drifting to a few older couples, dressed in their best outfits, taking in the scene.
—Marta Tucci, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drift
Verb
To evaluate its performance, researchers applied a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model called Snowbedfoam to simulate snow transport and assess the snow-drifting effects around Helioplant systems.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2025
After all, who wouldn’t want to drift to sleep with a silk eye mask that’s filled with lavender?
—Isabel Garcia, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
Noun
Jazz seeps from Blue Note, meeting in the street to mingle with the fragrance of espressos and cappuccinos from Caffè Reggio, while men in Washington Square Park drift through clouds of smoke from their joints.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2025
Tinny chart tunes drift across the arena.
—Sean Williams, Outside, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
The season transforms the city’s historic streets into something out of a snow globe—brick row houses dusted in white, gas lamps flickering through the early dusk, and the smell of soul-warming seafood chowder drifting from restaurants in the Seaport area.
—Mark Ellwood, AFAR Media, 7 Nov. 2025
My attention kept drifting to a few older couples, dressed in their best outfits, taking in the scene.
—Marta Tucci, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drift
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drift
Noun
-
But the 2015 international signing out of Venezuela never got his chance to reach the Fenway Park mound, despite emphatic praise from manager Alex Cora for Mata's performance in spring training this year.—
Jon Vankin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Coral fanatics will love visiting Negril, home to mountainous coral mounds and ethereal swim-through caves where green and red soft corals hang down like mystical fingers.—
Adrienne Jordan,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The tides are high, resulting in cautious behavior.—
Lisa Stardust,
Refinery29,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The swell is expected to drop on Saturday, and the tides are expected to ease through the weekend.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
These swatches are arranged at different angles to create a sense of chaos, and the pom at the top of the bonnet is replicated as a lace attachment.—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
11 Nov. 2025
-
If the coach decides to break that cycle, the Giants and their dynamic young quarterback should make all the sense in the world to him.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Are banks open on Veterans Day?—
Kaycee Sloan,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
11 Nov. 2025
-
However, bank ATMs and digital banking features will typically still be available.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Now the Dark Knight has always had some distinctly authoritarian tendencies baked into his tactics and mythology, as a Christopher Nolan movie or three made pretty clear.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Unfortunately, the songs have a tendency to drift towards a very similar sound, which stands out in the context of a project where everything else is so imaginative.—
Kambole Campbell,
IndieWire,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
But Bode's pointed delivery, and the reaction of the crowd, suggested that the comment carried an evident double meaning in the current political climate.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Einstein himself viewed it as a mathematical curiosity that likely had no physical meaning, but others disagreed.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Others described sightings of a woman dressed in black wandering hallways, gardens and along the seashore.—
Noreen Kompanik,
Boston Herald,
26 Oct. 2025
-
And there’s even an AI Kevin O’Leary wandering cyberspace.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
At a moment of increasing niche-ification of the news media business, Axel Springer is running in the opposite direction.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Automation can go in either of these directions; that’s why the task of the left is to create social and cultural conditions in which the benign and constructive aspects of technology and automation are primary.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drift.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drift. Accessed 22 Dec. 2025.
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