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
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of drift
The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
The storm is due to drift west Saturday and could move on to, or just south of Jamaica, early next week.
—Josh Cradduck, NBC news, 24 Oct. 2025
Sean Williams, Outside, 27 Oct. 2025
The material’s combination of high electroactivity and hydrophobicity allows lithium ions to travel efficiently to the electronic system, reducing potential drift and improving measurement reliability.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drift
Verb
Mbeumo would drift wide to duel with Virgil van Dijk or Kerkez after long passes from goalkeeper Senne Lammens, who kicked long 45 times on Sunday.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
The storm is due to drift west Saturday and could move on to, or just south of Jamaica, early next week.
—Josh Cradduck, NBC news, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
Tinny chart tunes drift across the arena.
—Sean Williams, Outside, 27 Oct. 2025
The material’s combination of high electroactivity and hydrophobicity allows lithium ions to travel efficiently to the electronic system, reducing potential drift and improving measurement reliability.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drift
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drift
Verb
-
As Snell continued to tire and miss his spots, Toronto’s opportunities kept flowing.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Drawings of the Duffield Cave, as seen in the YouTube video, show that the section has a narrow entrance, then curves upward before flowing left, dropping down again and bending right before angling back up to a larger chamber.—
Mark Gray,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Javier Mascherano’s side took firm control in the 62nd minute when Messi, hovering deep, fed overlapping fullback Ian Fray down the right, and the Jamaican international’s cross was perfectly headed home by Tadeo Allende.—
The Athletic Staff,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
After midnight on September 30th, helicopters hovered above a large Chicago apartment building, and heavily armored agents rappelled from the choppers onto the roof.—
Veralyn Williams,
NPR,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Harmlessly wandering about the village, belly and breasts exposed—at times completely naked—Pagli discomforts established codes of etiquette.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Woody Guthrie used to wander onto her family’s porch and sing with her dad.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Wong opts for a Belgian-style waffle, with deep cups ready to absorb the golf-ball-sized mound of sambal-honey butter on top.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
25 Oct. 2025
-
The score was just 2-2 at the start of the inning, and Dodgers' two-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell was on the mound.—
Gabe Smallson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Like the tides, the house is designed for effortless movement and flow.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
27 Oct. 2025
-
There is the possibility of a significant storm surge and destructive waves along the southeast coast of Cuba late on Tuesday or on Wednesday with peak storm surge heights up to 11 feet above normal tide levels.—
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
This, plus the ongoing calls among family members, maintains a powerful sense of human connection and love.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The move turned out to be a blessing for Harrison, who has felt a sense of relief since leaving the dating show.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Porter, who was wearing forest-green DaddyGoFish waders, glided into the waist-deep rapids and walked a line between them, periodically dipping small plastic bottles into the water and then depositing them into a mesh bag.—
Katie Thornton,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
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Other mammals — like flying squirrels and flying lemurs — can only glide, despite their names.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Many analysts had speculated Milei would, once the election was out of the way, tilt toward a floating currency — alleviating pressure on the nation’s trade position.—
Daniel Flatley,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The main floor includes a chef's kitchen, floating staircase and floor-to-ceiling windows.—
Francesca Pica,
jsonline.com,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drift.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drift. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
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