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

Reuse drives the design That reusable architecture could be just as important as the rocket’s lower unit cost. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026 The science behind rare disease drug development is changing fast, and with it, so is the financial engine that drives it all. — Brad Quick, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026 In Loiza, Pica Quiñones’ great-granddaughter, Modesta Irizarry, drives around helping elderly neighbors. — Isabel Rosales, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026 Care drives retention For Lucid Software, the company behind Lucidchart, Lucidspark and other tools, its people are the most valuable part of its business. — Ted Kitterman, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026 Flock’s ALPRs capture images of every vehicle that drives by, regardless of whether the car is the subject of a police investigation. — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 26 Aug. 2026 From petition to lawsuit to election In order to drum up support for the recall, First District residents worked together to hold daily petition drives throughout the month of May. — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 26 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

Noun

The company and the team will also organize school supply drives, holiday events, youth camps, and football clinics throughout the year. — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Aug. 2026 The Panthers also kept the first-team out of the end zone in one of their two drives that started in the red zone. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 26 Aug. 2026 That’s a heap of drives that come with bad math problems for opponents. — Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 Discover the Midwest’s most charming small towns this autumn, with slow scenic drives, vivid foliage, leaf-chasing hikes, storybook-perfect downtowns, and seasonal goodies. — Taryn Shorr-McKee, Midwest Living, 26 Aug. 2026 Precision and execution on punts and kickoffs can pin teams in their own end zones, stopping drives before they even get started. — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drives

Verb

Sebold’s was the third such attack in Thornden Park, which runs alongside the campus, in about seven months.

— Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 28 Aug. 2026
The center runs workshops on how to build air purifiers, how to measure heat and temperature in homes, and teaches solutions for treating those problems.

— Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of runs

Verb

Incoming low pressure from the west pushes away heat and allows better moisture to enter the state, raising rain chances as soon as Friday evening and increasing through the weekend.

— Tevian Whitehurst, AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Most of life is complex and multifaceted, and reading is one of the only habits that pushes back against the instinct to see things in black and white.

— Mckenna Friedland, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 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

Kohler’s Dekoda, one of the newest entries, activates with a fingerprint tap on a remote.

— Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Aug. 2026
This celestial season activates your expansive ninth house of adventure, education and exposure, inspiring you to take a leap of faith or perhaps even embark on a meaningful trip.

— Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 22 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

Key Biscayne The Village of Key Biscayne strictly prohibits all micromobility devices on streets, highways, sidewalks, bicycle paths, multiuse paths and trails, beaches and dunes unless otherwise authorized.

— Amaia Gavica, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Two men were sentenced Thursday for staging crashes on New York City highways to get fraudulent insurance payouts.

— Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026