Synonyms of drives

drives 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of drive

1

as in runs

to urge, push, or force onward

cowboys drove the herd of cattle from San Antonio to San Francisco

Synonyms & Similar Words

• runs
• herds
• punches
• shepherds
• whips
• presses
• spurs
• prompts
• eggs
• exhorts
• prods
• wrangles
• goads
• pricks
• hounds
• flogs
• scourges

2

as in motors

to travel by a motorized vehicle

I'm going to drive across the country—want to come?

Synonyms & Similar Words

• motors
• automobiles
• tools
• rides
• races
• wheels
• rolls
• taxis
• drags
• chauffeurs
• joyrides
• hacks

3

as in pushes

to apply force to (someone or something) so that it moves in front of one

drove the plunger into the opening

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pushes
• shoves
• propels
• thrusts
• moves
• jams
• squeezes
• forces
• impels
• pressures
• bears (down)
• compels
• compresses
• weighs (upon)
• depresses
• squashes
• muscles
• rams
• leans (on or against)
• bulldozes

4

as in compels

to cause (a person) to give in to pressure

the corrupt governor was driven out of office

Synonyms & Similar Words

• compels
• forces
• coerces
• obliges
• obligates
• pressures
• impels
• constrains
• presses
• impresses
• makes
• muscles
• blackmails
• intimidates
• dragoons
• bullies
• sandbags
• drags
• threatens
• cows
• bulldozes
• twists one's arm
• browbeats
• terrorizes
• blackjacks
• shames
• menaces
• harasses
• hectors
• high-pressures
• badgers
• hounds

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• allows
• permits
• lets
• moves
• argues
• induces
• satisfies
• talks (into)
• wins (over)
• prevails (on or upon)
• convinces
• persuades

5

as in activates

to cause to function

machinery driven by waterpower

Synonyms & Similar Words

• activates
• triggers
• sparks
• moves
• fuels
• generates
• powers
• starts
• runs
• ignites
• sets off
• pushes
• provokes
• actuates
• turns on
• cranks (up)
• touches off
• fires
• charges
• electrifies
• launches
• stimulates
• energizes
• trips
• switches
• turns over
• releases
• accelerates
• discharges
• incites
• kicks over
• excites
• arouses
• recharges
• reactivates
• instigates
• stirs up
• catalyzes
• quickens
• speeds (up)
• jump-starts
• kick-starts
• steps up
• vitalizes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• kills
• cuts
• stops
• brakes
• turns off
• cuts out
• shuts off
• arrests
• checks
• sticks
• stalls
• halts
• jams
• cuts off
• slows
• deactivates
• draws up
• suppresses
• represses
• decelerates
• stunts

6

as in moves

to set or keep in motion

this motor drives the gears, which then turn the shaft

Synonyms & Similar Words

• moves
• activates
• propels
• works
• impels
• actuates
• stimulates
• triggers
• motivates
• provokes
• raises
• trips
• incites
• stirs (up)
• ferments
• sets off
• inspires
• whips (up)
• abets
• excites
• foments
• arouses
• rouses
• fires (up)
• instigates
• galvanizes
• inflames

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• contains
• regulates
• controls
• restrains
• inhibits
• checks
• curbs
• constrains
• reins (in)
• bridles

7

as in speeds

to proceed or move quickly

the runner drove past the finish line and then came to a dead stop

Synonyms & Similar Words

• speeds
• travels
• rushes
• races
• hurries
• scurries
• flies
• chases
• trots
• runs
• zips
• jumps
• buzzes
• blows
• scoots
• rips
• jogs
• rams
• steps
• dashes
• shoots
• scuttles
• blasts
• motors
• zooms
• darts
• bowls
• tears
• hustles
• whirls
• bolts
• hurls
• barrels
• courses
• blazes
• hastens
• whisks
• hurtles
• belts
• careens
• rustles
• careers
• cracks (on)
• jets
• humps
• bustles
• bundles
• hies
• nips
• beats it
• rockets
• breezes
• steps on it
• pelts
• hares
• gallops
• makes tracks
• bombs
• gets a move on
• accelerates
• shakes a leg
• flits
• highballs
• scampers
• cannonballs
• hotfoots (it)
• sprints
• whizzes
• overtakes
• streaks
• stampedes
• outruns
• beetles
• outpaces
• quickens
• outstrips
• scuds
• steps out
• scuffles
• arrows
• catches up
• beelines
• fast-forwards

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• crawls
• drags
• lingers
• pokes
• lags
• creeps
• hangs (around or out)
• pokes
• loiters
• strolls
• dawdles
• shuffles
• saunters
• ambles
• tarries
• dallies
• slows (down or up)
• plods
• lumbers
• decelerates
• dillydallies

drives

2 of 2

noun

plural of drive

1

as in highways

a passage cleared for public vehicular travel

raced our motorcycles along the drive

Synonyms & Similar Words

• highways
• roads
• streets
• routes
• freeways
• thoroughfares
• expressways
• roadways
• carriageways
• boulevards
• arteries
• turnpikes
• passes
• arterials
• ways
• causeways
• lanes
• interstates
• drags
• avenues
• rows
• pike
• thruways
• traces
• high roads
• motorways
• bypasses
• parkways
• corridors
• trails
• superhighways
• alleys
• tracks
• through streets
• autobahns
• side streets
• ring roads
• beltways
• switchbacks
• secondary roads
• Main Streets
• crossroads
• dual carriageways
• byways
• branches
• side roads
• circles
• autostradas
• alleyways
• places
• dead ends
• autoroutes
• backstreets
• corniches
• high streets
• closes
• shunpikes
• bystreets
• mews
• cul-de-sacs
• laneways

2

as in campaigns

a series of activities undertaken to achieve a goal

a fund-raising drive for the school's marching band

Synonyms & Similar Words

• campaigns
• movements
• pushes
• causes
• crusades
• initiatives
• marches
• projects
• juggernauts
• actions
• bandwagons
• blitzes
• bids
• attacks
• maneuvers
• assaults
• missions
• offensives
• enterprises
• undertakings

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of drives

Verb

Willy drives it onstage through a giant door at the start and ends his life therein. —Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2026

Martinez is categorized as a super commuter, or someone who drives for 90 minutes or more to get to work. —Kara St. Cyr, CBS News, 9 Apr. 2026

Ranger drives with Horner to look for Athena The video of the interview at the Sheriff’s Office concluded and Ranger Espinoza is testifying again. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2026

That heating triggers contraction in the polymer, which drives motion. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Apr. 2026

Students should not have to choose between their education and the passion that drives them. —Jacqueline R. Westerfield, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Apr. 2026

In addition, 39% have no plan for how AI actually drives revenue. —Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2026

Meanwhile, when fuel is expensive, everyone who drives or buys goods pays more. —Camila Domonoske, NPR, 9 Apr. 2026

The problem is what happens months later, when early investors start selling, turn hundreds of billions of dollars of paper gains into cash, and create a wall of selling that drives the stock down. —Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 9 Apr. 2026

Noun

The company creates solid state drives that are about the size of a deck of cards. —James Taylor, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026

On April 1, one of the park’s most popular drives, Kuwohi Road (formerly Clingmans Dome Road), opened for the summer season, kicking off several road openings expected to follow. —Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2026

Using multiple overwrite methods ensures that files, partitions, or entire drives are permanently deleted and not recoverable. —Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 7 Apr. 2026

Burrell flees to the Scion and drives. —Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2026

Starting pitcher Brady Cunningham hits two homers and drives in four runs in 16-8 win over defending Class 4A champion Libertyville. —Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 6 Apr. 2026

Fraga often hikes up mountainsides and drives on backroads to find it. —Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 6 Apr. 2026

Across the country, stations have held funding drives and urged communities to make donations in order to stay afloat. —Stephany Matat, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026

Storage runs on two tool-less hot-swap NVMe drives – swappable in seconds without opening the chassis – with an optional third SATA unit in the media bay. —Omar Kardoudi march 31, New Atlas, 31 Mar. 2026