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
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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
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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
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
-
The official compared Stefanik to current Environmental Protection Agency head Lee Zeldin, who ran unsuccessfully against Hochul in 2022, rising to a Cabinet position despite his relatively narrow loss.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
22 June 2025
-
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
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
Damaging Iran’s nuclear facilities, decapitating its leadership structure, and repeatedly disrupting its enrichment efforts forces Tehran into a permanent state of caution.—
David A. Deptula,
Forbes.com,
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
-
Later, it’s revealed that the Front Man took the cash, deposited it into a bank account, and traveled to Los Angeles to give the money to Gi-hun’s daughter, Ga-yeong.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
-
Drivers who only plan on traveling for short distances in extreme temperatures may not need to be concerned.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
Noun
-
Think of it as a creditor wanting to get into a city and there are several roads to get into that city.—
Jay Adkisson,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
-
The partnership extended off the track, too, with the German and British marques pairing up to build a stylish road car based on the legendary 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
23 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drive. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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