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

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 At the same time, fear often drives behavior, particularly among women (in my observation). — Meredith Moore, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026 Last August also saw a surge in reviews for jeans, although the study was not sure if it was caused by Sydney Sweeney’s controversial American Eagle campaign, or by back-to-school shopping, which usually drives denim sales for that month. — Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 9 July 2026 Its haul has mysteriously disappeared, which drives a small community wild with excitement. — Marta Balaga, Variety, 9 July 2026 That disadvantage only drives Nelson to one day earn a standard NBA contract. — Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 July 2026 Fire shelters are mandatory equipment for crews who work across rugged terrain where things can change at a moment’s notice, especially when extremely dry and windy weather drives the flames, as happened last Saturday. — Jack Dura, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026 OpenAI reported compute efficiency breakthrough drives down chip stocks. — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 2 July 2026

Noun

Following weeks of petition drives and door-to-door signature collection by resident critics, the City of Independence has set a date for a special election to potentially recall First District Councilmember John Perkins. — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 9 July 2026 When Gilla Band hit the road, their front-of-house guy drives, Fox also engineers, Kiely sells merch, and Faulkner runs tech. — Laura Snapes, Pitchfork, 9 July 2026 Rates here are priced from $1,499 per person, per night; that fee includes details such as full board dining, game drives, and transfers to and from the Nanyuki airstrip. — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 8 July 2026 Robyn Schlice, a member of the church’s farmworker ministry, said the funds will support school supply drives, a computer literacy program, rental assistance and monthly distributions of clothing, food and household items. — Eliana Aguilar, Mercury News, 7 July 2026 The United States’ 250th birthday carries ambitions to galvanize Americans behind nationwide community-service drives and patriotic brand launches. — James Pollard, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026 Deputies responded to a report of an argument near the intersection of El Mercado and Chettenham drives, the sheriff’s office said. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 5 July 2026 Now, a new study from eCarsTrade has ranked the world's most Instagrammable drives by analyzing hashtag activity across 37 of the world's most famous routes. — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 5 July 2026 Enterprise solid-state drives, or SSDs, are storage devices designed for data centers. — Jenny Lee, CNBC, 2 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drives

Verb

The TikTok edits, the outfit identification threads, the contestant rivalries trending on X by the end of an episode, all of it turns 60 minutes of passive viewing into a multi-platform conversation that runs all week.

— Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
Metro-North runs Yankee Clipper trains from Grand Central to Yankee Stadium for all weeknight and weekend games for about $5 to $8 each way.

— James McClellan, Curbed, 10 July 2026

Definition of runs

Verb

Despite the unlikely duo closing in, the crime ring pushes past their limits, putting everything on the line for their beliefs — and their most ambitious heist yet.

— Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 10 July 2026
This pushes brands to adopt medical terminology and focus on biological aging mechanisms, as seen with LYMA's new skincare system, developed with scientists and boasting clinical improvements like 71% hydration.

— Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Definition of pushes

Verb

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
When systemic failures persist, lawsuits are the catalyst that compels meaningful reform and protects children who cannot protect themselves.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 26 June 2026

Definition of compels

Verb

People respond positively to hearing their own names—according to a study from the Institute for the Study of Child Development, hearing one’s name activates the left hemisphere of the brain.

— Aytekin Tank, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Honest sharing rises as the dynamic Sun activates your 8th House of Intimacy and Shared Resources, making clarity around money, time, and emotional investment more valuable.

— Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 6 July 2026

Definition of activates

Verb

The moody Moon moves through your 7th House of Partnership as the Sun energizes your 11th House of Friends and Community, aligning cooperation with a larger purpose.

— Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 5 July 2026
Trainer Robert Ndungu moves between them, occasionally kneeling to demonstrate the correct technique.

— Christopher Clark, NPR, 5 July 2026

Definition of moves

Verb

For example, in tenant onboarding, using AI to automatically auto-fill and email a 50-page PDF lease just speeds up the generation of a static, cumbersome document that still requires manual follow-ups.

— Ali Hoss, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Frequent mowing keeps clippings small, preventing smothering and speeds up decomposition for reuse.

— Peg Aloi, The Spruce, 21 June 2026