Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Thesaurus

drive

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of drive

1 a passage cleared for public vehicular travel
  • raced our motorcycles along the drive
Synonyms of drive

arterial, artery, avenue, boulevard, drag, expressway, freeway, high road, highway, pass, pike, road, roadway, route, row, street, thoroughfare, thruway, trace, turnpike, way
Words Related to drive

causeway

autoroute, interstate, superhighway

beltway, bypass, parkway

corniche, switchback

through street

Main Street

backstreet, branch, bystreet, byway, crossroad, secondary road, shunpike, side road, side street

alley, alleyway

circle, lane, place

cul-de-sac, dead end

corridor

track, trail
2 a series of activities undertaken to achieve a goal
  • a fund-raising drive for the school's marching band
Synonyms of drive

bandwagon, blitz, campaign, cause, crusade, juggernaut, movement, push
Words Related to drive

assault, attack, maneuver, march, offensive

action, bid, enterprise, initiative, mission, project, undertaking
3 a strong wish for something
  • a drive to succeed in the television news business
Synonyms of drive

appetency, appetite, craving, desire, hankering, hunger, itch, longing, passion, pining, thirst, thirstiness, urge, yearning, yen
Words Related to drive

compulsion, impulse, impulsion, will, zeal

liking, love, taste, weakness

eagerness, impatience

want, wish

necessity, need, requirement

obsession

acquisitiveness, avarice, avariciousness, avidity, covetousness, cupidity, greed, greediness, rapaciousness, rapacity

mania
Near Antonyms of drive

abhorrence, abomination, allergy, averseness, aversion, disfavor, disgust, disinclination, dislike, disliking, distaste, hatred, loathing, nausea, repugnance, repulsion, revulsion

apathy, indifference, insouciance, nonchalance, unconcern
4 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 of drive

beans, bounce, brio, dash, dynamism, energy, esprit, gas, get-up-and-go, ginger, go, gusto, hardihood, life, moxie, oomph, pep, punch, sap, snap, starch, verve, vigor, vim, vinegar, vitality, zing, zip
Words Related to drive

animal spirits, animation, briskness, jauntiness, liveliness, snappiness, spirit, spiritedness, sprightliness, spunk, spunkiness, vibrance, vibrancy, vivaciousness, vivacity

ardor, élan, fervor, fire, passion, zeal

main, metal, mettle, might, muscle, potency, power, puissance, stamina, strength

brawniness, fitness, hardiness, huskiness, sturdiness, virility

health, healthiness, soundness, verdure, wellness
Near Antonyms of drive

indolence, laziness

debilitation, debility, delicacy, disablement, enfeeblement, faintness, feebleness, frailness, frailty, impotence, impotency, infirmity, powerlessness, puniness, slightness, softness, tenderness, weakness

enervation, exhaustion, inanition, prostration
Antonyms of drive

lethargy, listlessness, sluggishness, torpidity
5 readiness to engage in daring or difficult activity
  • a great opportunity for a sales representative who is full of drive
Synonyms of drive

action, aggressiveness, ambition, enterprise, go, hustle, initiative
Words Related to drive

grit, gumption, pluck, snap, spirit, spunk, starch

ambitiousness, killer instinct, overambitiousness

assertiveness, self-reliance

energy, hardihood, pep, vigor, vitality
Near Antonyms of drive

inactivity, inertia, passivity

diffidence, faintheartedness, timidity

hesitation, reluctance

indolence, laziness, lethargy

drive

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of drive

1 to urge, push, or force onward
  • Cowboys drove the herd of cattle from San Antonio to San Francisco.
Synonyms of drive

herd, punch, run
Words Related to drive

shepherd

wrangle

egg, exhort, flog, goad, hound, press, prick, prod, prompt, scourge, spur, whip
2 to travel by a motorized vehicle
  • I'm going to drive across the country—want to come?
Synonyms of drive

automobile, motor, tool
Words Related to drive

roll, wheel

joyride

chauffeur, hack, taxi

ride

drag, race
3 to apply force to (someone or something) so that it moves in front of one
  • drove the plunger into the opening
Synonyms of drive

propel, push, shove, thrust
Words Related to drive

impel, move

bear (down), compress, depress, jam, pressure, squash, squeeze, weigh (upon)

bulldoze, compel, force, lean (on or against), muscle, ram
4 to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
  • The corrupt governor was driven out of office.
Synonyms of drive

blackjack, coerce, compel, constrain, dragoon, force, impel, impress, make, muscle, obligate, oblige, press, pressure, sandbag
Words Related to drive

browbeat, bulldoze, bully, cow, hector, intimidate

blackmail, high-pressure, menace, shame, terrorize, threaten

drag

badger, harass, hound
Phrases Synonymous with drive

twist one's arm
Near Antonyms of drive

allow, let, permit

argue, convince, induce, move, persuade, prevail (on or upon), satisfy, talk (into), win (over)
5 to cause to function
  • machinery driven by waterpower
Synonyms of drive

activate, actuate, crank (up), move, run, set off, spark, start, touch off, trigger, turn on
Words Related to drive

kick over, turn over

charge, electrify, energize, fire, fuel, generate, power, push

discharge, launch, release, switch, trip

reactivate, recharge

arouse, excite, jump-start, kick-start, stimulate, vitalize

ignite, incite, instigate, provoke, quicken, stir up

accelerate, catalyze, speed (up), step up
Near Antonyms of drive

arrest, brake, check, cut off, draw up, halt, jam, stall, stick, stop

decelerate, repress, slow, stunt, suppress
Antonyms of drive

cut, cut out, deactivate, kill, shut off, turn off
6 to set or keep in motion
  • This motor drives the gears, which then turn the shaft.
Synonyms of drive

actuate, impel, move, propel, work
Words Related to drive

activate, motivate, provoke

abet, ferment, foment, incite, raise, stir (up), whip (up)

set off, trigger, trip

arouse, excite, fire (up), galvanize, inflame (also enflame), inspire, instigate, rouse, stimulate
Near Antonyms of drive

bridle, check, constrain, contain, control, curb, inhibit, regulate, rein (in), restrain
7 to proceed or move quickly
  • The runner drove past the finish line and then came to a dead stop.
Synonyms of drive

barrel, belt, blast, blaze, blow, bolt, bowl, breeze, bundle, bustle, buzz, cannonball, careen, career, chase, course, dash, fly, hare, hasten, hie, highball, hotfoot (it), hump, hurl, hurry, hurtle, hustle, jet, jump, motor, nip, pelt, race, ram, rip, rocket, run, rush, rustle, scoot, scurry, scuttle, shoot, speed, step, tear, travel, trot, whirl, whisk, zip, zoom
Words Related to drive

dart, flit, scamper, scud, scuffle

stampede, streak, whiz (or whizz)

gallop, jog, sprint

accelerate, quicken, step out

catch up, fast-forward, outpace, outrun, outstrip, overtake
Phrases Synonymous with drive

beat it, get a move on, make tracks, shake a leg, step on it
Near Antonyms of drive

dally, dawdle, dillydally, drag, hang (around or out), lag, linger, loiter, poke, tarry

amble, lumber, plod, saunter, shuffle, stroll

decelerate, slow (down or up)
Antonyms of drive

crawl, creep, poke

Synonym Discussion of drive

move, actuate, drive, impel mean to set or keep in motion. move is very general and implies no more than the fact of changing position.
    • moved the furniture
actuate stresses transmission of power so as to work or set in motion.
    • turbines actuated by waterpower
drive implies imparting forward and continuous motion and often stresses the effect rather than the impetus.
    • a ship driven aground by hurricane winds
impel is usually figurative and suggests a great motivating impetus.
    • a candidate impelled by ambition

Learn More about drive

  1. Dictionary: Definition of drive Medical Dictionary: Definition of drive Spanish Central: Translation of drive Nglish: Translation of drive for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of drive for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about drive

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up drive? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

traduce

play

to lower or disgrace the reputation of

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. lowlife 'a person of low moral character'

  2. kakistocracy 'government by the worst people'

  3. slimeball 'a morally repulsive or odious person'

  4. salacious 'arousing or appealing to sexual desire'

  5. oligarch 'government in which a small group exercises control'

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

image236659401
Words from Letters in the Greek Alphabet

When English borrows from another alphabet

alt-5ada140ed3e28
'Preventive' or 'Preventative'?

Why not both?

alt-5ad8fc71357ed
Words We're Watching: 'Bluebeard,' the Verb

No, it's not a coiffure trend

alt-5ad8d3361fb97
Where 'Cliff-hangers' Come From

You're on the edge of your seat

Ask the Editors

image1760257654
2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

How we chose 'feminism'

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

video-literally
Literally

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

video-his-or-her
Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

Word Games

image1926873504
Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

Test your knowledge of strange human behaviors.

Take the quiz
cats-on-impossible-timber
More Confusing Words—Quiz

How many of these commonly confused words do you know?

Take the quiz
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz
Word Winder's CrossWinder
Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game