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

Relevance
2
as in motors
to travel by a motorized vehicle I'm going to drive across the country—want to come?

Synonyms & Similar Words
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
4
as in compels
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure the corrupt governor was driven out of office

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in activates
to cause to function machinery driven by waterpower

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in moves
to set or keep in motion this motor drives the gears, which then turn the shaft

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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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

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
This absence drives Shimoda to unearth historical records like FBI files; to visit Manzanar, the concentration camp his grandfather was sent to in Missouri; and to travel to his grandfather’s ancestral homeland in Japan. — Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026 Money drives them apart, but that’s what they’re expected to care about. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026 Teams understand what drives results and where to focus their energy. — Angela Palo, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026 The latest tie-up drew more directly on Nakamura’s personal interests than the first capsule did, Bateman added, as Nakamura owns and drives several vintage sports cars and has shown them at racing events around the world. — Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026 As revealed by Variety, the film follows a woman who drives from Dunhuang, in western China near Central Asia, all the way to the sea. — Jenny S. Li, Variety, 27 Sep. 2026 What is genuinely remarkable, though, is that this meteoric machine drives with the straightforwardness of a Toyota Camry. — Sean Evans, Robb Report, 26 Sep. 2026 For many in the industry, a tentpole feature is one that costs more than $100 million to produce, often exceeding $200 million or $250 million, and that drives significant traffic to movie theaters. — Sarah Whitten, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026 Filling a pothole matters to the person who drives over it every day, but repeatedly filling the same hole without addressing the underlying street condition is not an effective use of taxpayer dollars. — Vince Fattore, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026
Noun
In the Mississippi State loss, two of Mizzou’s three touchdown drives began on the Bulldogs’ side of the field. — Pj Green october 1, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026 This component's other skills include locating large files and folders, locating empty files, irretrievably erasing drives (other than the boot drive), uninstalling apps, and defragmenting disks and the registry. — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2026 Homeowners have access to game drives and guided bush walks, along with the spa and dining at Thanda’s lodges. — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 29 Sep. 2026 Several first-half drives that moved inside the 20-yard line resulted in field goals rather than touchdowns. — Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026 The Cowboys trailed 24-13 in the third quarter before Prescott led a pair of touchdown drives. — ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026 Lamar Jackson used his big right arm and a little bit of quick thinking to lead the Baltimore Ravens to one of their shortest and most memorable drives in franchise history. — CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026 The Seminoles will lean on Kromah to help sustain drives in what will be a crucial month ahead for the team and Norvell. — Bob Ferrante, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Sep. 2026 The Hurricanes scored on eight consecutive drives, notching seven touchdowns and one field goal. — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 27 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drives
  1. runs
  2. automobiles
  3. pushes
  4. compels
  5. activates
  6. moves
  7. speeds
  8. highways
Verb
  • After living in the City of Lights for more than a decade, the designer said he was drawn to its features, which informed his palette that runs from sky blues to Seine greens, via tones inspired by its typical stone buildings.
    — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Every action is decisive and cannot be reversed, just as the film runs ever forward through the projector.
    — Harmon Siegel, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of runs
Verb
  • These go-tos make trains, planes, and automobiles far less stressful.
    — Luke Pyenson, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 July 2026
Definition of automobiles
Verb
  • Her argument pushes against a much louder story from Silicon Valley, where AI leaders keep warning that white-collar work is about to be automated.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
  • But our leadership team combines deep footwear expertise with perspectives from outside the industry, and that mix of experiences pushes us to approach the industry differently.
    — Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of pushes
Verb
  • However, the necessity of operating without a financial safety net compels one to internalize these lessons.
    — Shreyans Lodha, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026
  • And most of them did not choose the economic arrangement that compels them to burn that carbon, that splits labor and leisure in this way, that organizes work and pleasure around certain kinds of mobility.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of compels
Verb
  • The geometry of the dome itself regulates ventilation and activates natural air circulation through the stack effect, complemented by floor-level air intake to prevent direct drafts and maintain a consistent microclimate.
    — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The Recorder page activates the glasses’ voice recorder, which saves the audio recording, a transcript of everything said, and an AI summary.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of activates
Verb
  • Riley was a direct inspiration on the record, and while the Bay Area composer did work with drones, his influence is more poignant here, in the way Schwendener breaks the melody down into pieces and moves them around.
    — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Bits per second is commonly used in BCI research to quantify how quickly and accurately a user can select intended targets, rather than simply measuring how fast a cursor physically moves.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of moves
Verb
  • Industry partnership speeds development Castelion is developing Blackbeard through a partnership led by the Future Capability Development and Integration Aviation Rapid Capabilities Cell within the Portfolio Acquisition Executive Aviation.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Directed by Mert Alas, the cinematic visual opens on a desert road flanked by mountains, a car speeds through, which is later revealed to be driven by Miley.
    — Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of speeds
Noun
  • Parcels of agricultural land surrounded on a certain percentage of their borders by homes, businesses, highways or land zoned for future development can apply for the designation.
    — Nico Rivero, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
  • It’s been used to raise funds for Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse, a Minnesota woman caught using a racist slur on camera and to support Canadian truckers who blocked highways in protest of Covid restrictions.
    — David K. Li, NBC news, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of highways

Browse Nearby Words

drivers
drives
drives (away or off)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Drives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drives. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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