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

But Argano, who drives Engine 10, isn't quite ready to pack it in. — Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2026 Also at play are generic and biosimilar products that have come onto the market, offering competition that drives down the prices of expensive brand-name and biologic drugs. — Melissa Goldin, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026 The halt to trade and logistics also comes a few weeks before Dashain, a 15-day Hindu religious festival that significantly drives consumer spending and tourism annually. — Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026 But Slayton’s release drives home the message that every player needs to earn his spot. — Dan Duggan, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 Boone drives into Jones territory and lines up for a 51-yard field goal to end the half. — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026 They get stuck in the founder dependency stage, where everything relies on the business owner and nothing happens unless the business owner drives it. — Adam Stott, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026 Salomon Olea drives a sanitation truck while on his daily work route in San Diego, CA on Thursday, September 3, 2026. — Audrey McGlinchy, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026 Each barrel ahs a separate and independent gear train, one providing energy to the gear train that powers the time and perpetual calendar indications (with a 48-hour power reserve), and the other to the gear train that drives the chiming functions. — Carol Besler, Robb Report, 10 Sep. 2026

Noun

Ohio State started six of its 11 drives inside the 20-yard line, with five starting inside the 10. — Cameron Teague Robinson, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 The March drew massive attention, which leaders channeled into voter registration drives, legal challenges and grassroots organizing that led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. — Stewart McLaurin, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026 The region’s most photogenic drives, like the Beartooth Scenic Highway, provide a bird’s-eye view for leaf peepers. — Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 10 Sep. 2026 Former Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels, now with Tampa Bay, led two second-half touchdown drives to erase a 9-0 deficit and hand the Chiefs their second preseason loss. — Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026 All members need to think about is enjoying the drives and fast-developing friendships. — Iain MacAuley, Robb Report, 2 Sep. 2026 After the 2020 law took effect, Law and others who left Hong Kong continued their work abroad by meeting foreign politicians and launching petition drives. — ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drives

Verb

The England left-back, who turned 22 on Tuesday, was already contracted for another three years but Newcastle have handed him a fresh deal on improved terms which now runs for a further two.

— Chris Waugh, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
For starters, its emerald shade runs close to the color jade.

— Tom Roland, Billboard, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of runs

Verb

For example, diesel prices have hit record highs above $6 a gallon, which pushes up the cost of shipping for groceries and other goods delivered by truck.

— Christopher Rugaber, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026
The harder engineering work will happen in the tests that follow, as Venus pushes the engine through longer and more demanding runs.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of pushes

Verb

My banter with Cormac focuses on the institute, what compels him to be here.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Sep. 2026
The deal compels Facebook and Instagram to adopt new child-safety rules, including daily time caps, school-hour notification bans, stronger age checks and expanded parental controls aimed at harmful content.

— Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of compels

Verb

Colorado moves way up to one spot ahead of Georgia Tech after blocking the final field goal for the road win over the Yellow Jackets.

— Chris Vannini, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Buoyed by her leadership of the multi-billion-dollar expansion project last decade, Espino moves up from deputy administrator to take full command of the canal.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of moves

Noun

South Florida motorists routinely saw police officers hurtling along highways at extraordinary speeds without lights, sirens or any apparent emergency.

— Sally Kestin, Sun Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026
Just as interstate highways need to be wider and smoother than typical country roads, railroad tracks that handle faster trains require more robust engineering and safety features than those that handle slow-moving freight.

— Daniel C. Vock, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026