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
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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
Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 2 May 2025
From the stage is where Chen primarily drives the story of Bad Boy.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 2 May 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
Some of his early policies—not least his tariffs—have been implemented in messy ways, and have at times appeared to be driven by incompatible impulses.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 2 May 2025
From the stage is where Chen primarily drives the story of Bad Boy.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 2 May 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
-
Applicants will be selected in August, and the program will run from September through November in New York City.—
Lisa Lockwood,
Footwear News,
5 May 2025
-
This story will run after Episode 4, but in Episode 3, clearly Dina wants something to happen in the tent.—
Kate Aurthur,
Variety,
5 May 2025
Verb
-
Those motoring to work in a Rolls-Royce aren’t being left out, either.—
Susan Campos,
The Hollywood Reporter,
23 Mar. 2025
-
The plot is motored by their deft, defiant mouths.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
For the candidates who’ve worked for weeks to push their message through the noise of competing election campaigns, Saturday could turn into a long, tense evening.—
Hilary Whiteman and Angus Watson,
CNN Money,
3 May 2025
-
Japan pushed back, saying the negotiations should be comprehensive, the paper said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
3 May 2025
Verb
-
So, does something like this become more important to force people to think and, again, put it into the perspective of kids who normally have much more optimism and have the chance to fix what other generations have completely f**ked up?—
Steve Baltin,
Forbes.com,
4 May 2025
-
As a mother of three children with autoimmune issues, Chevrier said she is forced to shop at specialty stores or make everything from scratch.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
4 May 2025
Verb
-
The Blue Jays outfielder’s incredible play came just hours after Toronto activated him off the injured list to make his season debut.—
Jenna West,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
-
The ability of car companies to charge users to activate some features is effectively the only reason the car’s systems need to communicate with cell towers.—
Dell Cameron,
Wired News,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Golden eagles will forage during migration flights and use this uplift from heated air, which also comes from open landscapes, to move efficiently during migration and seasonal movements.—
Noël Fletcher,
Forbes.com,
27 Apr. 2025
-
Some of those are moving along very well, especially the – with the Asian countries.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Any adult who plans to travel around the country this summer, or any time after the enforcement deadline, must have a REAL ID or another federally compliant identification document in order to avoid delays.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2025
-
Portugal’s flag carrier TAP Air Portugal told people not to travel to the airport until further notice.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
There are at least some echoes of the ultra-hyper violent God of War, the famed video game series, and that is getting a live-action adaptation on Amazon Prime Video down the road.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
4 May 2025
-
When the original owner of the bookstore needed to move locations down the road, the town residents showed up in droves, creating a human conveyor belt moving the books hand-to-hand down to the new location.—
American Booksellers Association,
USA Today,
3 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drive. Accessed 10 May. 2025.
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