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

Wandering through the wash, the mind drifts not to the film but to the flash floods that move through this channel after heavy rains, sudden torrents cutting and reshaping the valley floor in a matter of hours. —Josh Jackson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026

Written by Mescudi, Doe explores themes of addiction and survival through the lens of a man living on the streets of Hollywood who, over the course of 24 hours, drifts through a series of encounters that pull him in and out of the cycles of his compulsion. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2026

In the video, the cat’s owner gently holds the kitty up to an open window as snow drifts inside. —Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026

The nurturing Moon drifts into your 12th House of Solitude, inviting you to pause and seek privacy. —Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 27 Mar. 2026

Nmecha drifts wider to develop the play and ultimately, above, Leeds are left with two lively strikers attacking their deliveries. —Beren Cross, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026

Carlson-Wee drifts over to him. —Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 17 Mar. 2026

One notable feature is how often the stock has managed to bottom once the RSI drifts toward the midpoint of its range. —Frank Cappelleri, CNBC, 11 Mar. 2026

Debris drifts in and has nowhere to go. —Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 10 Mar. 2026

Noun

The gusts redistributed snow on the avalanche slope, piling it into drifts far deeper than surrounding sites. —Matthias Gafni, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 Apr. 2026

The research demonstrates that the interaction between core rotation and cross-field drifts produces a larger effect than either component does on its own. —Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Apr. 2026

Since Wednesday, more than a foot of new snow has fallen in some areas, with gusty winds redistributing that snow into deeper, more dangerous drifts. —Callie Zanandrie, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026

Avoid areas that are elevated, near trees or structures, in old snow or drifts, or where melting has occurred. —Sophie Carson, jsonline.com, 16 Mar. 2026

Embrace a design strategy that focuses on grouping plants in drifts or mass plantings. —Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Mar. 2026

Instead, Zeisig treats the project like a beat tape, preferring static mats of sound and dynamically unyielding drifts over crescendoes and catharsis. —Daniel Bromfield, Pitchfork, 10 Mar. 2026

Konrad, 24, drifts between Berlin’s techno clubs and a slow self-destruction until summoned to identify a body that may be his mother’s – a German internationalist guerrilla fighter who abandoned him when a child. —John Hopewell, Variety, 9 Mar. 2026

Sunny, a Nigerian actor and family man, drifts between faith, fatigue and a desire to return to artistic expression. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026