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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in ambition
readiness to engage in daring or difficult activity
a great opportunity for a sales representative who is full of drive
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Ashley Nunes, Boston Herald, 7 June 2025
Goldstein drove Boozer home with a sacrifice fly and Corral plated the go-ahead run with a single through the right side.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 June 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
And two-thirds of households with an EV have another non-EV that is driven more — hardly a recipe for climate success given that EVs must be driven (a lot) to deliver climate benefits.
—Ashley Nunes, Boston Herald, 7 June 2025
Goldstein drove Boozer home with a sacrifice fly and Corral plated the go-ahead run with a single through the right side.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 June 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
-
On the first half-court possession of the game, Boston ran a handoff with Sydney Colson on the wing, springing her for a clean jumper at the free-throw line.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
-
Bennet, who is now running for governor, and Tester largely ignored the protesters, who interjected throughout the event, as they were escorted out or asked by security not to disrupt.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
29 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 man appears to briefly lift the scooter away from the child’s leg, the child gets back on the scooter, and Miller eventually motors away.—
Chris Boyette,
CNN Money,
4 May 2025
Verb
-
This happens when water in front of the tire builds up faster than the vehicle's weight can push water out of the way.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
9 June 2025
-
Just as Naomi’s victory was widely expected, so was that of Rollins, the lone star in the bout who is consistently pushed as a main eventer.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
8 June 2025
Verb
-
Set in the winter of 1591, the play unfolds across three clandestine meetings where the rival playwrights are forced into creative collaboration amid a climate of conspiracy and paranoia.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
30 May 2025
-
Down 3-1 in the series to Edmonton, the Stars were going to need any and all powers up to and including the influence from this American Pope just to maybe, possibly, force a Game 7.—
Mac Engel,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 May 2025
Verb
-
In other words, for reasons still not fully understood, the robot’s yawn may have activated a biological response in the chimpanzees that led them to associate the gesture with sleep or rest.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
5 June 2025
-
Rocker had been dominant in two rehab outings prior to being activated on Wednesday.—
Compiled From Wire Reports,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 June 2025
Verb
-
The two new fire stations, plus the new fire department headquarters that is set to hold a relocated Fire Station 4, are being moved at the recommendation of a 2021 plan that looked to lower emergency response times.—
R. Christian Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2025
-
Word moved around the ticket-holders, likely waiting for Novak Djokovic’s match to follow this one, that one of their own was doing something special.—
James Hansen,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
Verb
-
The ban, which goes into effect on Monday, bars travel to the United States by citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.—
Hamed Aleaziz,
New York Times,
5 June 2025
-
After the Peru game Colombia travels to Argentina for a rematch of the Copa America final; another fine test of their credentials ahead of the 2026 tournament.—
Joseph O'Sullivan,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
Noun
-
There are also four Nation Forest System roads that are impacted by the fire that need to be assessed for hazards.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
30 May 2025
-
Panahi was last in the Cannes Competition with 3 Faces in 2019, a political road movie starring Iranian star Behnaz Jafari.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drive. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share