1
as in flows
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 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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
1
2
as in tides
a prevailing or general movement or inclination
the steady drift of the population away from large cities
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of drifts
Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2026
Mesa de Frades The traditional, melancholic music drifts through the streets of Alfama each evening, and gives guests a deeper understanding of the heart of the city.
—Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Apr. 2026
Away from the city’s concrete and sounds, the scent of herbs drifts through the air and light pours in from the floor-to-ceiling windows.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 15 Apr. 2026
Across millions of interactions, the system drifts towards flattery.
—Tim Requarth, Longreads, 9 Apr. 2026
Barnes drifts to the corner with his new man, Gillespie.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
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
Nishant Pant, CNBC, 14 Apr. 2026
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
Verb
Set clear expectations and timelines so nothing drifts.
—Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2026
Mesa de Frades The traditional, melancholic music drifts through the streets of Alfama each evening, and gives guests a deeper understanding of the heart of the city.
—Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Apr. 2026
Away from the city’s concrete and sounds, the scent of herbs drifts through the air and light pours in from the floor-to-ceiling windows.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 15 Apr. 2026
Across millions of interactions, the system drifts towards flattery.
—Tim Requarth, Longreads, 9 Apr. 2026
Barnes drifts to the corner with his new man, Gillespie.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
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
Noun
If the stock just manages a standard technical bounce and drifts above the $240 level by expiration, both last week's spread and this week's spread are positioned to cross the finish line as full 100% winners.
—Nishant Pant, CNBC, 14 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drifts
Verb
-
Carbios reported a financial loss of about $12 million, reflecting lower income from cash investments, interest flows with subsidiaries, interest paid on loans and a non-cash impairment provision.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Footwear News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The cost spiked due to a slowdown in traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for oil shipments through which one-fifth of the world's oil supply normally flows.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But the hunter success rate for the spring season hovers around 30 percent.—
Alex Robinson,
Outdoor Life,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Around his head hovers a cluster of disembodied faces — creepy alt-Altmans, their expressions ranging from anger to open-mouthed woe.—
Cath Virginia,
The Verge,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In the clip, Rodrigo wanders through the Palace of Versailles, running from room to room before strapping on a pink guitar and rocking out.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The 56-year-old Williams has since found his mind often wanders through hazes of grief to memories of Thomas.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
18 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Flies buzzed over the growing mounds of trash.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
-
On Monday evening, a EF-2 tornado from the west swept through four blocks of the Franklin County seat, effectively destroying TruComp’s 76,000-square-foot building, shearing off its front and blasting its east side into mounds of bricks, insulation and twisted metal.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
King tides — the year’s highest tides, which climate change is making more frequent and severe — stir up sediment and reduce the light that reaches the seafloor.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Once created, New Cut allowed colonial travelers to rely on strong sea tides to carry them through the canal.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The contest over causation goes to parents’ simultaneous senses of responsibility and helplessness about their children’s fates.—
Jeannie Suk Gersen,
New Yorker,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Like Dijon, svn4vr uses a dexterous, soulful rasp to fight for emotional truth from within songs that occupy shifting senses of space and bear the seams of digital assembly.—
H.D. Angel,
Pitchfork,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
As the late '70s disco hit Stayin' Alive fills the Addison dance studio, instructor Maya Apodaca glides across the floor.—
Robbie Owens,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
As the inspirational Moon glides into your 7th House of Allies, your expressive nature invites connection, and your generous spirit lightens tough conversations.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
So Fasanara floats the cash, collects interest from the seller and directly assumes payment from the buying squad.—
Justin Birnbaum,
Sportico.com,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Just as Earth has two very different poles — the Antarctic south pole, marked by a massive continent, and the icy north pole, whose ice floats atop the waters of the Arctic ocean — so too does Saturn.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drifts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drifts. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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