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 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
1
as in ranging
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of drifting
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 drifting
Noun
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
Verb
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 drifting
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drifting
Noun
-
Impressive performance by a future Hall of Famer on the mound, a rocket home run by another future Hall of Famer at the plate and a pair of singles from the sport’s biggest star.—
John Romano,
The Orlando Sentinel,
2 Aug. 2025
-
The typical timeline to get back on the mound after Tommy John surgery is 12-15 months.—
Aaliyan Mohammed,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Trying to stop it is like ordering the tides to stop.—
Matt O'Brien,
Chicago Tribune,
23 July 2025
-
To be sure, the rising tide didn't lift all boats: Retail investor favorites Palantir and Nvidia both took a leg down in the session.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
22 July 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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
Noun
-
Other congressional Democrats on the 2028 list who can legally transfer their funds to a presidential campaign include Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., 35, who had a record-breaking first quarter haul this year and had about $9.8 million in the bank.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
2 Aug. 2025
-
The bank itself has announced plans to build a tokenization platform on zkSync, a fast, cost-efficient Ethereum layer two designed to help asset managers issue and manage tokenized funds, stablecoins, and other real-world assets while meeting regulatory and data protection requirements.—
MacKenzie Sigalos,
CNBC,
2 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Attachment styles are simply ways to understand one’s tendencies in a relationship.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
-
Soccer’s authorities have a tendency to dismiss, or at least appear to dismiss, the women’s game.—
Julia Andersen,
CNN Money,
30 July 2025
Noun
-
That term can have a number of meanings, and even though Carr has suggested a proceeding to define it, that hasn’t happened.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
25 July 2025
-
The question of the meaning of life continues unabated.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
Adjective
-
Misunderstood, wandering arachnids are often just in search of love.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
29 July 2025
-
There, the swarm of thrill rides peppering 57 acres of the West Coast recharges his wandering soul, lending perspective to the winding road he’s traveled between Kentucky and California.—
Joe Sills,
Forbes,
14 Oct. 2024
Noun
-
Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard closed at Loop 101 Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard in Scottsdale was scheduled to close in both directions at Loop 101 (Pima Freeway) from 9 p.m. July 25 to 5 a.m. July 28 for a widening project, according to ADOT.—
Olivia Rose,
AZCentral.com,
26 July 2025
-
Every practice, he was intrigued by the way the siren would face a different direction.—
Claudia Levens,
jsonline.com,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drifting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drifting. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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