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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
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
-
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
-
But the tide started to change when Florida found themselves in penalty trouble.—
Cameron Priester,
Sun Sentinel,
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
-
In a sense, the job search should be treated like a personal marketing campaign, Zeile suggested.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
20 June 2025
Noun
-
Should these banks grow larger or regulators intervene, Chime’s business model becomes vulnerable, unsettling investor confidence.—
Ron Shevlin,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2025
-
Other photos shared by Rewilding Portugal in a June 13 Facebook post show the beaver sitting, holding something and climbing along the river bank.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
13 June 2025
Noun
-
Republicans argue these tactics reflect a tendency by the governor to prioritize optics over sustainable fiscal solutions.—
Elaine Mallon,
The Washington Examiner,
16 June 2025
-
Key inputs to this call include the tendencies of mature bull markets, some likely profit-margin slippage from tariffs, moderating earnings gains and the chance that the Fed will resume rate cuts in coming months.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
14 June 2025
Noun
-
Employees—especially those in emotionally demanding or client-facing roles—need to see the meaning in their work.—
Pete First,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
-
Fabrizi and his colleagues focused on three major components of pain processing: Sensory-discriminative (identifying where and how intense the pain is), affective-motivational (the emotional response to pain) and cognitive-evaluative (interpreting and understanding the meaning of pain).—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
Adjective
-
Rebecca Solnit Writer, historian, and activist Rebecca Solnit is the author of more than twenty-five books on feminism, western and urban history, popular power, social change and insurrection, wandering and walking, hope and catastrophe.—
Rebecca Solnit
May 29,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2025
-
Starting during that period and continuing over the decades, Andersen very much lived the life of the wandering, nomadic poet-writer.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
4 June 2025
Noun
-
For too long, the balance in Maryland has tipped entirely in one direction — shielding dangerous behavior while completely ignoring the voices of victims.—
Robin Grammer,
Baltimore Sun,
19 June 2025
-
Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente.—
Elizabeth Nelson,
Southern Living,
19 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drift.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drift. Accessed 27 Jun. 2025.
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