drive 1 of 2

verb

ˈdrīv How to pronounce drive (audio)
Definition of drivenext
1
as in to run
to urge, push, or force onward cowboys drove the herd of cattle from San Antonio to San Francisco

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to motor
to travel by a motorized vehicle I'm going to drive across the country—want to come?

Synonyms & Similar Words
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

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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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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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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

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drive

2 of 2

noun

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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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

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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb drive differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of drive are actuate, impel, and move. While all these words mean "to set or keep in motion," drive implies imparting forward and continuous motion and often stresses the effect rather than the impetus.

a ship driven aground by hurricane winds

When might actuate be a better fit than drive?

The words actuate and drive can be used in similar contexts, but actuate stresses transmission of power so as to work or set in motion.

turbines actuated by waterpower

When would impel be a good substitute for drive?

While the synonyms impel and drive are close in meaning, impel is usually figurative and suggests a great motivating impetus.

a candidate impelled by ambition

When could move be used to replace drive?

In some situations, the words move and drive are roughly equivalent. However, move is very general and implies no more than the fact of changing position.

moved the furniture

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of drive
Verb
Riley drove the go-ahead blast over the wall in right-center field. — Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026 Scoring impossible-to-get Beyond Fest tickets is a rite of passage for the city’s young cinephiles, some of whom think nothing of driving an hour from Silver Lake to Santa Monica or vice versa for an in-demand screening. — Pat Saperstein, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026
Noun
The Tuscarora Landfill is about a 100-mile drive southeast from downtown Raleigh. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 28 Sep. 2026 Dallas kept the momentum in its favor with a 96-yard touchdown drive that included a 49-yard pass to Lamb. — CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for drive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drive
  1. run
  2. motor
  3. push
  4. force
  5. activate
  6. move
  7. travel
  8. road
Verb
  • After living in the City of Lights for more than a decade, the designer said he was drawn to its features, which informed his palette that runs from sky blues to Seine greens, via tones inspired by its typical stone buildings.
    — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Every action is decisive and cannot be reversed, just as the film runs ever forward through the projector.
    — Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of run
Verb
  • Beyond the shimmying visit, the mystery of who killed Victor is expected to motor the sophomore season’s overarching storyline, including digging into people from the corrupt politician’s shady past.
    — Emily Krauser, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026
  • As Hernández motored around the bases, JJ Bleday, crashing in from left field, secured the ball and fired to De La Cruz, who was situated in shallow center.
    — Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of motor
Verb
  • Bryan pushed back at the time, arguing that the song spoke to both sides of the aisle and urging fans not to let social media narratives divide them.
    — Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Treasurer Erick Russell has also pushed changes designed to prevent active bank accounts from being wrongly classified as abandoned.
    — Mark Lewyn, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of push
Verb
  • The companies and economies that endure will be the ones that can balance growth, resilience and sustainability—and change before outside pressure forces them to.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Doe alleged the defendants snorted ketamine off her body and forced her to do the same off theirs.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of force
Verb
  • More than 120 National Guard members were activated, part of roughly 400 statewide after the governor issued an emergency proclamation.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Business continuity treats disruption as the baseline condition and designs operations accordingly, with integrated data, predictive intelligence and prebuilt response playbooks that activate before a situation has fully materialized.
    — Abha Dogra, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of activate
Verb
  • There are about a million moving parts, and everybody involved is an outsized character.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Justices Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Sonia Sotomayor dissented, arguing that allowing the case to move forward prevents the lower court from considering Pike’s allegations from her childhood.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of move
Verb
  • Critics note the change would mean the sun rises an hour later on winter mornings, leaving more children traveling to school and commuters, construction workers, farmers and others heading to work before daylight.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Passengers traveling from Manhattan can also connect to the BLADEone aircraft at Westchester County Airport by helicopter, with BLADE advertising the helicopter transfer at approximately 12 minutes.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of travel
Noun
  • And neither Atlanta Public Schools nor Atlanta fire had answers for why buses and a firetruck were not told the road was blocked.
    — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 27 Sep. 2026
  • And the road toward whatever the final destination is starts now.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of road

Browse Nearby Words

drips
drive
drive (away or off)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Drive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drive. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on drive

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about drive

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