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

Asked what drives her through trying times, Penso points to her three daughters, the eldest of whom is 12. — Amanda Davies, CNN Money, 24 July 2026 Usage that drives new revenue, creates differentiated customer experiences, or builds proprietary capabilities is a growth investment. — Paul Keary, Fortune, 23 July 2026 But those details are unlikely to allay investors’ near-term concerns about the sluggish growth of the service and its ability to compete with market leader Waymo, which drives millions of miles per week. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 23 July 2026 Both habits are compulsive, self-soothing, and ultimately self-harming, yet only his history with women drives the story while his drug use is, disconcertingly, downplayed. — Literary Hub, 23 July 2026 Decadence drives Forbes Travel Recommended Fifth Avenue Hotel‘s Martini Ritual. — Spencer Whaley, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026 To prevent speculation that drives up land price without actual construction, the zoning benefits would be granted only on submission of building-permit applications. — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026 To meet energy demand for the grid, the flywheel drives a generator that converts its rotational motion into electricity. — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 17 July 2026 Physicists refer to this process as collapse, but scientists have not yet solved the fundamental enigma that drives this phenomenon. — Aldo Romero, The Conversation, 15 July 2026

Noun

Meanwhile, volunteers are organizing blood drives amid acute shortages at hospitals. — Mat Nashed, Christian Science Monitor, 21 July 2026 Meanwhile, residents in Springfield have organized prayer vigils, rallies, food drives and donations for Haitian families. — Gina Perez, The Conversation, 21 July 2026 Oil drives higher Meanwhile, oil prices are higher in early trade on Monday after American military casualties triggered a fresh wave of attacks on Iran. — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 20 July 2026 Since it was founded in the 1960s, the Lake Superior Circle Tour has attracted in-the-know road trippers looking for scenic drives with nearly constant views of the water and plenty of small-town detours. — Kristine Hansen, Travel + Leisure, 20 July 2026 The section of Elk Grove Boulevard between Waterfowl and East Taron drives remained closed until early Friday while investigators examined the scene. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 17 July 2026 But beyond the main section of the park, Hiddn in Addo offers a different kind of safari, one that swaps the adrenaline of game drives for the restorative power of nature. — Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026 Extreme rainfall events like this are becoming more common as planet-warming pollution drives temperatures higher, because warmer air holds more moisture – which storms can then wring out like a water-laden sponge in heavy, localized downpours. — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 15 July 2026 In one instance, there was a 488% increase in applications for test drives on the day of the stream, Moutran told Semafor. — Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 15 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drives

Verb

However, not everyone feels it, said Wes Schroll, founder and chief executive officer of Fetch, which runs an app where consumers can get rewards for uploading receipts and that data is anonymized for brands’ market research.

— Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
PayJoy runs the other way, into exactly the markets that correlation leaves out.

— Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 24 July 2026

Definition of runs

Verb

But the Mavericks would prefer to trade Thompson than buy him out, and that could delay or eliminate this option for Miami unless Thompson pushes for a buyout in the weeks ahead, something that remains a possibility.

— Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 25 July 2026
The backward-looking sound sometimes pushes the band toward exciting switch-ups.

— Victoria Borlando, Pitchfork, 24 July 2026

Definition of pushes

Verb

Every drop hits like a quake, and each muscular beat compels you to shake your ass.

— Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 17 July 2026
Further, since a charging order compels an LLC to re-direct distribution payments to the creditor, the appeals court further mused that such was enough to create standing since the LLCs needed to know who to pay.

— Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Definition of compels

Verb

All is saved, until Kripke kills Raj — and the device then activates, taking Stuart, Bert and Kripke to another universe.

— Michael Schneider, Variety, 24 July 2026
What most people read as refusal is closer to a defense mechanism the mind adopted long before this particular disagreement started, one that activates faster than any deliberate choice could.

— Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

Definition of activates

Verb

Propulsion system moves toward flight testing The AVEN is the main part that gives X-BAT the ability to direct its thrust for vertical takeoff, landing, and hovering.

— Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 20 July 2026
The new plan, unveiled earlier this month, moves warehouses north of her property in Manhattan.

— Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2026

Definition of moves

Verb

Also, take care to keep potatoes away from onions, as onions release ethylene gas, which speeds up the sprouting process.

— Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Martha Stewart, 19 July 2026
Beyond producing highly uniform nanowires, the technique speeds up materials research.

— Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 17 July 2026

Definition of speeds

Noun

The district is less than two hours from the capital of San José through paved highways or a ferry, with small plane options available.

— Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 24 July 2026
Most of these hotels, motels and motor lodges were built around the same time the federal government began numbering highways (like Route 66) in the mid-1920s.

— Joe Yogerst, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026