DRIVE-BY Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

drive-by

adjective

ˈdrīv-ˈbī

Definition of drive-by

as in hurried

acting or done with excessive or careless speed the administrator's schedule left her with no time to make more than a drive-by assessment of the situation

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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-by Prosecutors and police claimed that Davis orchestrated Shakur’s murder in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996, and handed the gunman the murder weapon. — Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 1 Sep. 2026 Davis, 63, was convicted Monday of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon in the fatal drive-by shooting of Shakur nearly 30 years ago. — Chloe Melas, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026 Nearly 30 years after Tupac Shakur was killed in a Las Vegas drive-by shooting, the long-running case has finally produced its first conviction. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 1 Sep. 2026 Davis has been the star witness for Nevada prosecutors, who devoted large portions of their case to simply recounting things the murder suspect has said about the 1996 killing of the rap star during a drive-by shooting just off the Las Vegas Strip. — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for drive-by

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drive-by

Adjective

Dooley emphasized the preliminary nature of the ruling and the hurried nature of the litigation preceding it in a short, 12-page decision.

— Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 1 Oct. 2026
Chandler Simpson put down a squeeze bunt and Mateo beat third baseman Kevin McGonigle’s hurried flip to the plate.

— Dave Hogg, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of hurried

Adjective

Both sides still have to hash out key details — including what constitutes sufficient medical attention — to avoid scenarios where care and examinations are conducted in a cursory manner to meet numerical goals.

— Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 8 Sep. 2026
Heath pilots a fighter jet, deploys bombs in foreign countries, and thwarts cyberattacks, all after remarkably cursory and casual conversations with a government official.

— Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of cursory

Adjective

The teen’s family has said this was a rushed judgment that did not involve a thorough enough investigation.

— Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026
The rushed and botched release of Apple Intelligence made clear that Apple's AI strategy wasn't fully fleshed out.

— Kevin Stankiewicz,Zev Fima, CNBC, 10 July 2026

Definition of rushed

Adjective

The viral disease causes a blotchy rash and flulike symptoms but can develop into severe, life-threatening illnesses, such as pneumonia and brain swelling.

— Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 18 Sep. 2026
Despite the defense allowing nine third down conversions to the Giants and allowing New York to win the time of possession battle by over 13 minutes, the Cowboys are not making any rash decisions after just one game.

— Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of rash

Adjective

Low self-control, in contrast, is a core contributing factor to numerous problems, including substance abuse and impulsive buying.

— Joan M. Cook, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
Cage has answered with the impulsive, erratic, and frenzied style now allegorized in Spider-Noir as Reilly’s inner monster.

— Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of impulsive

Adjective

Over the next few months, Caroline, who wanted to get into the house quickly, and Raymond made hasty decisions to speed up the move-in process.

— Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2026
Over time, these hasty constructions gave way to sites that still define New York, like the vast Reflecting Absence memorial at the World Trade Center site, a garden in northern Manhattan, and a memorial on the shores of Staten Island.

— Robert W. Snyder, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of hasty

Adjective

Whether or not Hal was right to entice Zoe (upon whose shoulders the carnage ultimately falls), his decision to circumvent the Guardians’ chain of command is what ultimately leads to countless deaths and his imprisonment for reckless endangerment.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
They would be purchased with such reckless abandon that your biggest fear would be a three-day rally that took stocks up 40%.

— Jim Cramer, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of reckless

Adjective

In many such cases, Pennington says, parents will want to give each child an equal inheritance to be fair, but also worry about how the struggling child will fare upon receiving a sudden inheritance.

— Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
The account provided directly to Fox News offered a more harrowing description of the sudden descent, with the passenger saying people screamed as overhead compartments opened and power aboard the aircraft went out.

— Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of sudden

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“Drive-by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drive-by. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of drive-by

adjective

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