1
2
3
as in to push
to apply force to (someone or something) so that it moves in front of one
drove the plunger into the opening
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to force
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
the corrupt governor was driven out of office
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to activate
to cause to function
machinery driven by waterpower
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in to move
to set or keep in motion
this motor drives the gears, which then turn the shaft
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7
as in to travel
to proceed or move quickly
the runner drove past the finish line and then came to a dead stop
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in road
a passage cleared for public vehicular travel
raced our motorcycles along the drive
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2
as in campaign
a series of activities undertaken to achieve a goal
a fund-raising drive for the school's marching band
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3
as in desire
a strong wish for something
a drive to succeed in the television news business
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4
as in energy
active strength of body or mind
senior citizens who exercise regularly are more likely to have the drive to keep up with their grandchildren
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5
as in ambition
readiness to engage in daring or difficult activity
a great opportunity for a sales representative who is full of drive
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of drive
Tim Britton, New York Times, 19 June 2025
The narrative twist: the story is driven not by the characters themselves but by eight distinct emotions in their minds — comedic, romantic, bizarre, and rational.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 19 June 2025
Umar Shakir, The Verge, 7 Feb. 2023
As part of the drive for efficiency, NHS managers were pressured to keep bed vacancies low.
—David Luhnow, WSJ, 6 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for drive
Verb
Alvarez has been pleased with his pitch recognition, which has helped drive his walk rate and on-base percentage to career bests.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 19 June 2025
The narrative twist: the story is driven not by the characters themselves but by eight distinct emotions in their minds — comedic, romantic, bizarre, and rational.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 19 June 2025
Noun
Details sent to the company included the health and read / write values of the drive using CrystalDiskInfo, which is a program that can read the SMART data embedded in most hard disks.
—Umar Shakir, The Verge, 7 Feb. 2023
As part of the drive for efficiency, NHS managers were pressured to keep bed vacancies low.
—David Luhnow, WSJ, 6 Feb. 2023
See All Example Sentences for drive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drive
Verb
-
Our 6,000 members — and tens of thousands of New Yorkers — are practically running to the polls.—
Audrey Sasson,
New York Daily News,
22 June 2025
-
Schnall, the first-year head coach who has led Coastal Carolina to a program-record 56 wins, ran toward home plate to confront Campos.—
Mitch Sherman,
New York Times,
22 June 2025
Verb
-
The Red Sox and Mariners motored through Thursday’s rubber match in Seattle.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
18 June 2025
-
Those motoring to work in a Rolls-Royce aren’t being left out, either.—
Susan Campos,
The Hollywood Reporter,
23 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Video footage from the incident showed Padilla pushed to the ground and handcuffed outside the door while attempting to speak to Noem during the conference.—
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 June 2025
-
On the banks of the Patuxent River in rural Maryland, a former summer haven for Black residents is pushing to preserve its history and revitalize the town.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
20 June 2025
Verb
-
Fleetwood, just bogeyed the par-3 16th to open the door for Bradley ended up three-putting for bogey, pushing an eight-footer on his second attempt to save par and force a playoff.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
23 June 2025
-
The shutdowns have caused significant disruptions to regional air traffic and forced airlines to reroute flights.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
Verb
-
Meanwhile, in suburban Cook County, three courthouses — in Skokie, Maywood and Markham — were activated as 24/7 cooling centers from June 21 to June 24 in response to the heat advisory.—
Lily Carey,
Chicago Tribune,
29 June 2025
-
It’s been a couple of years since Google and Jamestown activated a stretch of downtown San Jose near SAP Center with its Creekside Socials, block parties with music, art and food trucks.—
Sal Pizarro,
Mercury News,
28 June 2025
Verb
-
Wales have done well under Wilkinson to move away from a hardened reputation as being Fishlock’s team and become more of a sum of their parts.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
27 June 2025
-
Protests by locals, who are frustrated with overtourism and Bezos’ links to President Donald Trump, forced Bezos to move a wedding party from a central Venetian nightlife area to a more isolated part of the city, Reuters reported.—
Conor Murray,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
Verb
-
Trump was supposed to travel to his golf club in Bedminster, N.J.—
Tamara Keith,
NPR,
28 June 2025
-
Located within the downtown area, anchor your stay by parking your car (free of charge) and traveling on foot to explore shops, the farmers market, and restaurants.—
Jennifer Prince,
Southern Living,
28 June 2025
Noun
-
William Saller emphasizes that the long road, although more challenging, usually leads to something far more meaningful.—
Wyles Daniel,
USA Today,
23 June 2025
-
All evacuation warnings have been lifted and roads reopened, the Sheriff’s Office said.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drive. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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