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

Their fundamentalist, literal understanding of the Bible is one that drives them to take bigger, bolder actions to affirm their belief that the United States is a Christian nation. — Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 18 July 2026 Intentional planning drives better long-term outcomes than an approach prioritizing speed. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 17 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 When Fumi takes a job at Rin’s clinic planning to expose its darker side, their standoff drives the series, with the story more interested in what pushes people toward transformation than in the surgeries themselves. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 July 2026 What drives her attempt to use female solidarity as a way to ingratiate herself with Priscilla, a woman who is seemingly her enemy? — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 15 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 There is little reason to believe that a careful weighing of risk and benefit really drives interest in Colossal’s de-extinction efforts. — Taylor Dotson, Scientific American, 10 July 2026 During his winter drives up Interstate 80 toward Lake Tahoe, Sean Bigley keeps his eyes peeled. — Corey Schmidt july 10, Sacbee.com, 10 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

Fraser Millward is familiar with both venues, having left a 20-year career in London’s theater and live events industry in 2021 to join the organization that runs Aviva, Factory International, as a technician.

— Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
The book instead focuses on Penelope’s diplomatic genius, along with her loyal women who form a network of spies for her along with a secret militia that quietly runs the island from the shadows for two decades while their men are away at war.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026

Definition of runs

Verb

Which hasn’t entirely stopped Klaveness from speaking out as Infantino pushes the boundaries of his power.

— Tom Kludt, Vanity Fair, 17 July 2026
Daera pushes the conversation beyond recycled content as a singular solution toward a more complete circular product development.

— Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 17 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 colossal billboards by the side of highways advertising legal representation.

— Nick Miller, New York Times, 18 July 2026
Flash flooding of small creeks, streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses, as well as areas with poor drainage and low-lying areas, was possible.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 16 July 2026