Synonyms of drifts

drifts 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of drift

1

as in flows

to move or proceed smoothly and readily

casual conversation drifting from one topic to another

Synonyms & Similar Words

• flows
• glides
• sails
• slips
• cruises
• sweeps
• streams
• slides
• rolls
• brushes
• flies
• races
• speeds
• bowls
• rushes
• breezes
• coasts
• whisks
• skims

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• struggles
• flounders
• stumbles
• trudges
• limps
• shuffles
• plods
• lumbers
• stamps
• stomps
• stumps
• toils
• labors
• tramps
• shambles

2

as in hovers

to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air

the boat drifted along on the current

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hovers
• floats
• sails
• swims
• glides
• wafts
• rides
• hangs
• poises
• bobs
• dangles
• suspends
• buoys
• rafts
• balloons

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• settles
• sinks
• plunges
• dives
• dips
• lunges
• submerges
• immerses
• submerses

3

as in wanders

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

• wanders
• roams
• floats
• strolls
• cruises
• meanders
• roves
• ranges
• traipses
• knocks (about)
• rambles
• saunters
• gallivants
• ambles
• mooches
• bats
• gads (about)
• maunders
• dawdles
• strays
• straggles
• kicks around
• mopes
• mills (about or around)
• vagabonds
• tramps
• hobos

drifts

2 of 2

noun

plural of drift

1

as in mounds

a pile or ridge of granular matter (as sand or snow)

deep drifts of snow blocked our driveway

Synonyms & Similar Words

• mounds
• banks
• mountains
• tufts
• bars
• stacks
• snowdrifts
• masses
• heaps
• snowbanks
• embankments
• hills
• sandbars

2

as in tides

a prevailing or general movement or inclination

the steady drift of the population away from large cities

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tides
• tendencies
• trends
• directions
• winds
• runs
• shifts
• currents
• leanings
• turns
• curves
• swings
• habits
• customs
• turnabouts
• propensities
• ways
• tenors
• countercurrents
• downsides
• upsides
• undertows
• undercurrents
• countertrends

3

as in senses

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

• senses
• meanings
• contents
• imports
• intentions
• significances
• intents
• themes
• connotations
• messages
• definitions
• implications
• stuff
• denotations
• cues
• topics
• indications
• purports
• significations
• intimations
• natures
• suggestions
• clues
• hints
• inklings
• spirits
• essences
• souls
• burdens
• subjects
• matters
• hearts
• acceptances
• motives
• nuclei
• bottoms
• motifs
• kernels
• questions
• tenors
• points
• cores
• acceptations
• marrows
• cruxes
• nubs
• essentialities
• piths
• quicks
• gists

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of drifts

Verb

The smoke drifts toward New Delhi, adding to pollution from vehicles, industries, construction dust and other local sources. — ABC News, 8 Nov. 2026

Rain chances are low — 10% to 25% — as the front drifts southward during the day. — Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2026

Around me, hands reach up timidly and then with more confidence, and then they are accompanied by applause that drifts from one side of the room to the other and back. — Sam Kestenbaum, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026

Videos show some masked protesters hurling objects at police as the tear gas drifts across the square. — Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026

The film drifts from bit to bit, some straining for laughs but enough of it working to make this feel like vintage Baron Cohen daredevil comedy at the expense of the clueless. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026

His attention drifts towards intimate details – the bare armpit, the small hollow at the base of Rafael’s neck – and the music follows him into this increasingly private, almost obsessive fascination. — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026

Filmed largely in natural daylight, the film drifts between still, unhurried, panning shots to evoke not only the spiritual energy that keeps the temples humming but also a world in slow, gradual decay. — Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026

After the low pressure area drifts toward the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, the Gulf Coast of the United States is the likely destination. — Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Noun

As the truck carrying Omitsu’s body lumbered along through the drifts, the villagers walked beside it, occasionally helping to sweep away snow. — Yasushi Inoue, New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2026

That’s a big discount considering the usual price drifts between $240 and $299. — Brad Bourque, The Verge, 6 Oct. 2026

But engineers estimate that once Swift drifts below 185 miles (300 kilometers) in early to mid-October, operating the telescope will become a challenge, according to NASA. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026

The more intimate spaces in the apartment are paneled in the same heavy black raw silk that was once used for a Dolce & Gabbana opera coat; even the windows are curtained in billowing drifts of black silk chiffon. — Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 20 Sep. 2026

This makes the final month intriguing, even if some fantasy managers’ focus drifts toward football. — Greg Jewett, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

When every home needs a magazine-worthy renovation and every vacation looks like a luxury resort, our definition of what’s normal drifts upward. — Bydoug Ashburn, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Aug. 2026

An air quality advisory has been issued for the San Francisco Bay Area, as smoke from fires burning in the Pacific Northwest drifts into the region. — Tim Fang, CBS News, 4 Aug. 2026

Pay drifts again the moment reviews stop, so the companies actually narrowing the gap are the ones treating it as an ongoing practice, not a box checked once and revisited only when the numbers make headlines. — Kara Dennison, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026