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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in to move
to set or keep in motion
this motor drives the gears, which then turn the shaft
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in campaign
a series of activities undertaken to achieve a goal
a fund-raising drive for the school's marching band
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in desire
a strong wish for something
a drive to succeed in the television news business
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of drive
Stephen Marche, The Atlantic, 1 July 2025
Preventing the spread of marijuana laced with chemicals is one of the driving factors behind Tyson's push for federal reform.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 1 July 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
Official data from April show that the number of Canadians driving across the border had dropped 35 percent from the previous year.
—Stephen Marche, The Atlantic, 1 July 2025
Preventing the spread of marijuana laced with chemicals is one of the driving factors behind Tyson's push for federal reform.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 1 July 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
-
His installation is called The Jewel of Mayfair, and features a carpet that runs the length of the arcade, nearly 560 feet, featuring stones and designs from each chapter of his 50-year career.—
Samantha Conti,
Footwear News,
1 July 2025
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The family at the heart of the story run a tourism business allowing Cappadocia to feature in a way that naturally chimes with the narrative, but the connection between landscape and plot runs far deeper, series director Murat Saraçoğlu says.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
1 July 2025
Verb
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But momentum flipped in the fifth when North Reading turned an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play and tacked on an insurance run when Matt Mancinelli motored around from first to score on a bloop single by Torra.—
Greg Dudek,
Boston Herald,
14 June 2025
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TikTok clued us into the power of shaving your body—mainly your she-shrubbery—using what is technically a beard trimmer, because it's designed explicitly to motor through coarse hair.—
Annie Blackman,
Allure,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Combs' lawyers had pushed for a more expansive response, but prosecutors argued — and Subramanian agreed — that doing so could end up confusing jurors more.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
1 July 2025
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While the elimination of the commercial lease tax is final, Higgins and others who have been pushing for the Northeast Corridor rail project hope Perez will help Miami-Dade find other matching dollars when the Florida Legislature reconvenes at the end of 2025.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
1 July 2025
Verb
-
Farmland and ranch properties, typically large and illiquid assets, have historically forced family sales to cover estate tax obligations.—
Robert Daugherty,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
-
Initially, the plant’s staff was overwhelmed, forcing Motorola to briefly backtrack on its promise to deliver phones to customers within four days.—
Verne Kopytoff,
Fortune,
5 July 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
-
Known as the ram air turbine, it can also be manually activated.—
Mika Gröndahl,
New York Times,
28 June 2025
Verb
-
Washington — The Supreme Court on Tuesday lifted a lower court order that blocked sweeping layoffs of federal workers at nearly two dozen agencies while a legal battle over President Trump's plans to drastically cut the size of the government moves forward.—
July 8,
CBS News,
8 July 2025
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Neither of these steps will be easy: Hezbollah is under pressure from Lebanese officials and continues to suffer Israeli bombardment, and the new Syrian government, which is consolidating control over its territory, is hostile to Iran and has begun moving closer to Israel.—
MOHAMMAD AYATOLLAHI TABAAR,
Foreign Affairs,
8 July 2025
Verb
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After all, snowmobiles can’t smell seals or polar bears, nor travel quietly enough to avoid scaring off potential prey.—
Lauren Leffer,
Popular Science,
10 July 2025
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Like the name suggests, these mule sneakers are easy to wear and travel in.—
Hillary Maglin,
Travel + Leisure,
10 July 2025
Noun
-
The northernmost portion of the path cuts through Macken Park before moving to the road as the park ends at Clark Ferguson Drive.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
5 July 2025
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People have died in Kerr County and roads were flooding in Kerrville, a city of 25,000 people about 60 miles northwest of San Antonio, authorities said.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
5 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drive. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
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