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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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

As any storyteller knows, tension and contrast is what drives audience interest. — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026 Normally, this camera records everyone who drives down this street. — Meg Anderson, NPR, 21 Aug. 2026 The creator’s taste drives the business, but the business eventually needs more output than one person can produce. — Ian Shepherd, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 As buyers demand higher yields, that in turn drives up the Treasury’s borrowing needs. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026 Robinson’s father drives it while Robinson controls the camera, filming each run. — Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 Sastry drives the company’s AI strategy and deployment across the enterprise and for its clients. — Sastry Durvasula, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026 Locarno Pro itself drives to identify opportunities during good times and industry malaise. — John Hopewell, Variety, 14 Aug. 2026 In mammalian aging, the abrupt changes show there is some kind of signaling that drives the system. — Ingrid Wickelgren, Quanta Magazine, 14 Aug. 2026

Noun

The fourth-round pick played only 15 snaps but was solid, completing 5-of-7 passes for 65 yards and leading the Jets on two scoring drives. — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 20 Aug. 2026 Jordan Love, Baker Mayfield and Bo Nix will all get to lead drives, according to their respective head coaches. — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 Payton said this week the plan for Nix will be about 14 plays, so a couple of drives, depending on how productive the offense is early in the game. — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 20 Aug. 2026 When refugees from Syria and Rohingya started coming to the United States, Ibrahim said UMMA started coat drives, food boxes for refugees, and offered rental assistance to those who needed a place to live. — Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026 Golden State Valkyries forward Gabby Williams (1) drives to the basket during a WNBA game between the Minnesota Lynx and Golden State Valkyries on June 19, 2026 at the Chase Center in San Francisco, CA. — CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026 While generic drives can install disc games to the app, the Remix remains essential for cartridges. — Mitch Wallace, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026 Back-to-back 3-and-out drives also didn’t help and Lake Mary only gained about 45 yards in the second half. — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2026 The first pick of the second round caught seven passes for 63 yards on his three drives, including two impressive catches on the TD drive. — ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drives

Verb

The center runs 24 hours a day for 362 days each year, allowing United to cycle pilots through training without slowing its broader flight operations.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 21 Aug. 2026
Both schools also made deep postseason runs thanks, in part, to their ground attacks.

— Dan Albano, Oc Register, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of runs

Verb

Las Vegas — Under a canopy shielding them from the desert sun that pushes temperatures to nearly 110 degrees, Las Vegas tourists rode zip lines down Fremont Street.

— Andy Rose, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
The Brazilian fakes a dribble with his left, and immediately pushes the ball into space with his right.

— Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of pushes

Verb

Washington also opposed another streaming regulation, known as Bill 109, passed in Quebec last December, which compels streaming platforms to prioritize French-language content.

— Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
Frank’s ruling keeps the proposal to raise the homestead exemption up to $250,000 for Florida property owners on the ballot, but compels Attorney General James Uthmeier to rewrite parts of the plan.

— Romy Ellenbogen Herald, Miami Herald, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of compels

Verb

The result is a drug delivery system that activates only when needed, avoiding the risk of long-term administration of needlessly high doses.

— Mike McRae August 19, New Atlas, 20 Aug. 2026
Whether positive or challenging, everyone will see it while the Scorpio moon activates Jupiter.

— USA TODAY, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of activates

Verb

Trainers then lead participants in a 45-minute full-body workout before the class moves into another room fashioned as a recovery space with art and quiet music.

— Sneha Dhandapani, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
Interestingly, the researchers also found that the three-dimensional arrangement or atomic orientation of the material could create different ray patterns, giving us more control over how heat moves through the material.

— Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of moves

Verb

Saltwater speeds up rust and wear, plants need regular care, docks face storms and tides, and equipment like generators, solar panels, and desalination systems will eventually need replacing.

— Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Cubing the butter speeds things up by increasing surface area.

— Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of speeds

Noun

Social media put the storm’s effects on display, with videos of floodwaters leaving cars stranded on highways, stormwater runoff erupting onto city streets and waterfalls cascading onto the subway tracks at Penn Station.

— Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 21 Aug. 2026
Abdeen drove across the highways of newly independent countries.

— Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026