DROVE Synonyms: 305 Similar and Opposite Words

drove 1 of 2

noun

ˈdrōv

Definition of drove

as in flock

a great number of persons or creatures massed together people flocked to the annual festival in droves

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as in swarm

a group of domestic animals assembled or herded together a drove of cattle

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drove

2 of 2

verb

past tense of drive

as in ran

to urge, push, or force onward cowboys drove the herd of cattle from San Antonio to San Francisco

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as in rode

to travel by a motorized vehicle I'm going to drive across the country—want to come?

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as in pushed

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 forced

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 triggered

to cause to function machinery driven by waterpower

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as in moved

to set or keep in motion this motor drives the gears, which then turn the shaft

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as in sped

to proceed or move quickly the runner drove past the finish line and then came to a dead stop

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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 drove

Noun

As a second trooper who was nearby drove toward the shooting, the man passed him while heading in the opposite direction and opened fire, hitting the second trooper, Packard said. — Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 25 Aug. 2026 The combined success of these blockbusters — not to mention the droves of smaller-scale films doing their part — has helped vault the domestic box office back to numbers many prognosticators thought were ancient history. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Aug. 2026

Verb

After writing up our game stories for the 49ers’ playoff win in Green Bay in January 2014, Matt Maiocco and I hopped in a rental car at midnight and drove to Chicago for a flight later that morning. — Matt Barrows, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026 John Peck drove in three runs with the first two hits of his career, and Hao-Yu Lee, Riley Greene and Max Clark added RBIs. — ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for drove

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drove

Noun

And then there are the animals The regulations say domestic or other animals kept in groups such as packs, herds, litters, bevies or flocks larger than three are prohibited, unless the Village approves otherwise by resolution.

— Luisa Yanez Updated September 3, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026
Kicking things off are pieces adorned with Tiffany’s latest flock of birds that take their cues from Schlumberger’s 1950s Flames earrings, meant to resemble solar flares in its appearance.

— Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of flock

Verb

Additionally, the party alleged Tupone ran as a Green candidate to siphon votes from Brooks.

— Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2026
The historic buildings once occupied by radio operators now house guests of Basecamp Explorer, which runs a range of Arctic adventures on Spitsbergen, the largest of Svalbard’s islands.

— Holden Frith, TheWeek, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of ran

Verb

Imagine everything that followed Michigan’s loss to Ohio State was a bad dream and Kyle Whittingham never rode his Harley-Davidson into the Big House.

— Austin Meek, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Three shooters unloaded 18 rounds at the black Escalade in which Robinson rode with his cousin and the intended target — Tyquian Bowman, a rapper known as Quando Rondo.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of rode

Verb

Paralyzed from the waist down after her suicide attempt, Clancy uses a wheelchair, which Reddington pushed to the front of the courtroom.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
As data centers expand across North Carolina, Attorney General Jeff Jackson has pushed Duke Energy to create a class for the facilities so households aren’t left paying for power plants and grid upgrades needed to serve them.

— Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of pushed

Verb

But the truth of it is that Sharaa forced his hand by seizing swathes of the SDF’s territory in a lightning offensive in January.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 6 Sep. 2026
In 1963, Gloria Steinem went undercover for a journalism assignment as a Playboy bunny, exposing degrading working conditions that forced policy changes.

— Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of forced

Verb

While spoken language might benefit us in myriad ways, no single activity requires it, let alone explains what triggered its ongoing evolution over tens to hundreds of thousands of years.

— Mike McRae September 02, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
His remarks triggered fierce criticism and prompted Berlin artistic director Tricia Tuttle to publicly defend artists’ right to decide whether or not to speak on political issues.

— Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of triggered

Verb

Michigan was 80 yards from the end zone with 10 seconds remaining and hadn’t moved the ball at all since its first drive.

— Austin Meek, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Had moved from my very small town in northern Va to the big city of Richmond to begin my new career as a management trainee with a local bank at the princely sum of $11,000 per year at age 22.

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of moved

Verb

In June 2021, a camera helped locate a murderer, Joseph Jean, 56, who sped off after stabbing a 38-year-old woman on a sidewalk in Fort Lauderdale, the agency said.

— Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026
The research was slow at first, but more recent advances in technology — including artificial intelligence — have sped things up.

— Pien Huang, NPR, 4 Sep. 2026