DRIVES Synonyms: 344 Similar and Opposite Words

drives 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of drive

as in runs

to urge, push, or force onward cowboys drove the herd of cattle from San Antonio to San Francisco

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Relevance

as in motors

to travel by a motorized vehicle I'm going to drive across the country—want to come?

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as in pushes

to apply force to (someone or something) so that it moves in front of one drove the plunger into the opening

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as in compels

to cause (a person) to give in to pressure the corrupt governor was driven out of office

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in activates

to cause to function machinery driven by waterpower

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in moves

to set or keep in motion this motor drives the gears, which then turn the shaft

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as in speeds

to proceed or move quickly the runner drove past the finish line and then came to a dead stop

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drives

2 of 2

noun

plural of drive

as in highways

a passage cleared for public vehicular travel raced our motorcycles along the drive

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as in campaigns

a series of activities undertaken to achieve a goal a fund-raising drive for the school's marching band

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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 drives

Verb

Gen Alpha already drives nearly half of household spending and more than $100 billion in direct annual purchases. — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 6 Nov. 2026 Rather than deliver a traditional acceptance speech, the actress settled in for an onstage conversation with Fonda that offered a glimpse into what drives her philanthropy and activism. — Paul Chi, Vogue, 6 Nov. 2026 Pancho and Ann, on the other hand, are two real examples of how this technology—and the neural circuits research that drives it—is actually being used to help patients. — Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2026 Penn called the Cybertruck part of Tesla’s adventurous spirit that drives innovation. — ABC News, 6 Nov. 2026 As demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing drives a rapid data center expansion, energy infrastructure is becoming one of the industry’s biggest challenges. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 5 Nov. 2026 For five years in Los Angeles, Travis Holcombe soundtracked solo living room dance parties, time spent getting ready for a night out and drives across town. — Katie Bain, Billboard, 5 Nov. 2026 The real advantage isn’t producing more content, but identifying what drives results faster. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 5 Nov. 2026 Lucy’s behavior may be frustratingly inconsistent, but many viewers will recognize the immeasurable suffering that drives it. — Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026

Noun

Redwood National and State Parks have several gorgeous drives for anyone who wants to explore the parklands by car. — Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 12 Nov. 2026 Nine other people were arrested this week as part of a joint investigation between Interpol and South African police into recruitment drives for the war. — ABC News, 12 Nov. 2026 After Trinity’s football team held off several Amherst drives to win 16-13 last week, the Bantams were the last team in the conference standing undefeated. — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 12 Nov. 2026 Expect field goals, long drives and a game that stays in the 30s. — FOXNews.com, 12 Nov. 2026 Event co-sponsor LRS Waste Management Services is presenting the touch-a-truck display and a self-driving electric vehicle showcase, which will include test drives. — Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 11 Nov. 2026 Critics suggested the petition drives used to put the proposals on local ballots were designed to collect voter data and spread negative information about the incumbents. — CBS News, 11 Nov. 2026 The Gators couldn’t maintain offensive balance or sustain drives. — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Nov. 2026 In Sunday’s loss to Arizona, the Cowboys gave up four consecutive touchdown drives in the second half to allow the Cardinals to force overtime before a game-winning field goal in the extra period. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Nov. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drives

Verb

The incoming principal for the new elementary school, Maleena Guandique, currently runs Success Academy’s very first school, Harlem 1.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 12 Nov. 2026
Unlike model training, which involves developing and refining models, inference runs those models to generate responses and perform tasks.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 12 Nov. 2026

Definition of runs

Verb

Nighthawk pushes performance IBM’s current Nighthawk r2 processor has demonstrated significant improvements in quantum execution speed.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 12 Nov. 2026
And as sea level rise pushes tides and groundwater levels higher, soaking up the dry dirt and drainage area Florida was built to rely on, even smaller storms could cause the kind of damage seen last week.

— Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 11 Nov. 2026

Definition of pushes

Verb

The order blocks the government from removing additional trees and compels advance notice before the government irreversibly alters more of the course.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 4 Nov. 2026
Penny’s passion compels her – unbeknownst to her controlling husband James – to get a job on the Network, filling a vacancy while co-host Cybil (Mann) is off work.

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of compels

Verb

The measure speeds permitting approval under the California Environmental Quality Act by placing deadlines on government agencies to issue or deny permits within a year.

— Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026
Each landed as Meta, a Fortune 500 company that reported $201 billion in revenue last year, speeds up a shift from human reviewers to large language models.

— Molly A. Wallace, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of speeds

Noun

If El Niño brings storms that damage the road again, history suggests Caltrans will fix it, seemingly stuck in an endless loop of patchwork repairs for one of California’s most challenging mountain highways to maintain.

— Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
For example, campaign workers must remove signs placed within sight of state highways within 10 days after an election.

— Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 5 Nov. 2026