drove

1 of 2

noun

ˈdrōv 

1

: a group of animals driven or moving in a body

2

: a large number : crowd

—usually used in plural especially with in

came in droves

drove

2 of 2

past tense of drive

Synonyms of drove

Noun

• flock
• swarm
• throng
• crowd
• horde

Examples of drove in a Sentence

Noun

people flocked to the annual festival in droves

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Sea Kings took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Max Brengel’s single drove in Charlie Kaster. —Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 21 Mar. 2026

Customers continue to come in droves. —Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 14 Mar. 2026

Spring is a quieter time to visit the historic town of St Andrews, Scotland — a one-hour train ride from Edinburgh — missing the droves of tourists and golfers of summer and early fall. —Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026

There’s no denying that firms are laying off droves of employees, and there’s also no denying that many of them are openly enthusiastic about AI. —Frank Landymore, Futurism, 4 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English drāf, from drīfan to drive — more at drive

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing drove

• drove him to an early grave

Rhymes for drove

• clove
• cove
• rove
• shrove
• stove
• strove
• throve
• trove
• wove
• alcove
• mangrove

Kids Definition

drove

1 of 2 noun

ˈdrōv 

1

: a group of animals driven or moving in a body

2

: a crowd of people moving or acting together

drove

2 of 2

past of drive

Etymology

Noun

Old English drāf "group of animals moving together," from drīfan "to drive"