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drive

/draɪv/

/draɪv/

Other forms: driven; drove; driving; drives

To drive is to operate or travel in a motor vehicle. You can drive a car, a bus, or a go-kart.

Drive is one of those multi-functioning words with a lot of uses. In a very general sense it relates to pushing, or a push in a direction; drive and go go hand in hand. You could drive across country, drive cattle on a cattle drive, drive a golf ball by hitting it off a tee, drive prey into the open, clean your computer’s hard drive, or drive someone crazy. But do you really have the drive to do all that?

Definitions of drive
  1. verb
    operate or control a vehicle
    drive a car or bus”
    “Can you drive this four-wheel truck?”
    Synonyms:
    take
    proceed along in a vehicle
    ride
    have certain properties when driven
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    types:
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    coach
    drive a coach
    test drive
    test a vehicle by driving it
    tool
    drive
    pull
    move into a certain direction
    type of:
    control, operate
    handle and cause to function
  2. verb
    travel or be transported in a vehicle
    “We drove to the university every morning”
    synonyms: motor
    take
    proceed along in a vehicle
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    type of:
    go, locomote, move, travel
    change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
  3. verb
    proceed along in a vehicle
    “We drive the turnpike to work”
    synonyms: take
    motor
    travel or be transported in a vehicle
  4. verb
    move by being propelled by a force
    “The car drove around the corner”
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    types:
    pull
    move into a certain direction
    cut in
    drive in front of another vehicle leaving too little space for that vehicle to maneuver comfortably
    type of:
    go, locomote, move, travel
    change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
  5. verb
    cause someone or something to move by driving
    “She drove me to school every day”
    “We drove the car to the garage”
    Synonyms:
    take
    proceed along in a vehicle
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    types:
    pull
    steer into a certain direction
    chauffeur, drive around
    drive someone in a vehicle
    type of:
    displace, move
    cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense
  6. verb
    have certain properties when driven
    “My new truck drives well”
    synonyms: ride
    ride
    be carried or travel on or in a vehicle
  7. verb
    work as a driver
    “He drives a bread truck”
    “She drives for the taxi company in Newark”
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    type of:
    do work, work
    be employed
  8. noun
    a journey in a vehicle (usually an automobile)
    “he took the family for a drive in his new car”
    synonyms: ride
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    types:
    lift
    a ride in a car
    joyride
    a ride in a car taken solely for pleasure
    spin
    a short drive in a car
    type of:
    journey, journeying
    the act of traveling from one place to another
  9. noun
    a wide scenic road planted with trees
    “the riverside drive offers many exciting scenic views”
    synonyms: parkway
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    type of:
    road, route
    an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
  10. noun
    a road leading up to a private house
    synonyms: driveway, private road
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    type of:
    road, route
    an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
  11. verb
    push, propel, or press with force
    Drive a nail into the wall”
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    type of:
    impel, propel
    cause to move forward with force
  12. verb
    cause to move rapidly by striking or throwing with force
    drive the ball far out into the field”
    Synonyms:
    beat back, force back, push back, repel, repulse
    cause to move back by force or influence
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    type of:
    throw
    propel through the air
  13. verb
    hit very hard, as by swinging a bat horizontally
    drive a ball”
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    type of:
    hit
    cause to move by striking
  14. verb
    strike with a driver, as in teeing off
    drive a golf ball”
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    type of:
    hit
    cause to move by striking
  15. verb
    urge forward
    drive the cows into the barn”
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    types:
    mush
    drive (a team of dogs or a dogsled)
    type of:
    force, push
    move with force
  16. verb
    cause to move back by force or influence
    synonyms: beat back, force back, push back, repel, repulse
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    Antonyms:
    attract, draw, draw in, pull, pull in
    direct toward itself or oneself by means of some psychological power or physical attributes
    draw in, retract
    pull inward or towards a center
    curl, curl up, draw in
    shape one's body into a curl
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    type of:
    force, push
    move with force
  17. verb
    (hunting) search for game
    drive the forest”
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    type of:
    hunt, hunt down, run, track down
    pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)
  18. verb
    (hunting) chase from cover into more open ground
    drive the game”
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    type of:
    hunt, hunt down, run, track down
    pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)
  19. verb
    excavate horizontally
    drive a tunnel”
    see moresee less
    type of:
    dig, excavate, hollow
    remove the inner part or the core of
  20. verb
    cause to function by supplying the force or power for or by controlling
    “The amplifier drives the tube”
    “steam drives the engines”
    “this device drives the disks for the computer”
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    type of:
    power
    supply the force or power for the functioning of
  21. verb
    force into or from an action or state, either physically or metaphorically
    “He drives me mad”
    synonyms: force, ram
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    types:
    toe, toenail
    drive obliquely
    type of:
    thrust
    push forcefully
  22. verb
    compel or force or urge relentlessly or exert coercive pressure on, or motivate strongly
    “She is driven by her passion”
    Synonyms:
    force, ram
    force into or from an action or state, either physically or metaphorically
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    type of:
    coerce, force, hale, pressure, squeeze
    cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means
  23. noun
    the act of applying force to propel something
    “after reaching the desired velocity the drive is cut off”
    synonyms: driving force, thrust
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    types:
    firewall
    (colloquial) the application of maximum thrust
    impetus, impulse, impulsion
    the act of applying force suddenly
    type of:
    actuation, propulsion
    the act of propelling
  24. noun
    a mechanism by which force or power is transmitted in a machine
    “a variable speed drive permitted operation through a range of speeds”
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    types:
    fusee, fusee drive
    a spirally grooved spindle in a clock that counteracts the diminishing power of the uncoiling mainspring
    type of:
    mechanism
    device consisting of a piece of machinery; has moving parts that perform some function
  25. noun
    the act of driving a herd of animals over land
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    types:
    cattle drive
    driving a bovine herd (as cows or bulls or steers)
    type of:
    conveyance, transfer, transferral, transport, transportation
    the act of moving something from one location to another
  26. noun
    (sports) a hard straight return (as in tennis or squash)
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    types:
    forehand drive
    (sports) hard straight return made on the forehand side (as in tennis or badminton or squash)
    backhand drive
    a hard straight return made on the backhand side
    type of:
    return
    a tennis stroke that sends the ball back to the other player
  27. noun
    hitting a golf ball off of a tee with a driver
    “he sliced his drive out of bounds”
    synonyms: driving
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    type of:
    golf shot, golf stroke, swing
    the act of swinging a golf club at a golf ball and (usually) hitting it
  28. noun
    (computer science) a device that writes data onto or reads data from a storage medium
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    types:
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    CD drive
    a drive that reads a compact disc and that is connected to an audio system
    CD-ROM drive
    a drive that is connected to a computer and on which a CD-ROM can be `played'
    Winchester drive, disc drive, disk drive, hard drive
    computer hardware that holds and spins a magnetic or optical disk and reads and writes information on it
    external drive
    a drive with its own power supply and fan mounted outside the computer system enclosure and connected to the computer by a cable
    internal drive
    a drive mounted inside of a computer
    RAM disk
    (computer science) a virtual drive that is created by setting aside part of the random-access memory to use as if it were a group of sectors
    type of:
    device
    an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose
  29. verb
    strive and make an effort to reach a goal
    “She is driving away at her doctoral thesis”
    synonyms: labor, labour, push, tug
    bear on, push
    press, drive, or impel (someone) to action or completion of an action
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    types:
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    reach, strain, strive
    to exert much effort or energy
    extend oneself
    strain to the utmost
    kill oneself, overexert oneself
    strain oneself more than is healthy
    bother, inconvenience oneself, trouble, trouble oneself
    take the trouble to do something; concern oneself
    type of:
    fight, struggle
    make a strenuous or labored effort
  30. verb
    compel somebody to do something, often against his own will or judgment
    “She finally drove him to change jobs”
    Synonyms:
    force, ram
    force into or from an action or state, either physically or metaphorically
    see moresee less
    type of:
    make
    compel or make somebody or something to act in a certain way
  31. verb
    move into a desired direction of discourse
    “What are you driving at?”
    synonyms: aim, get
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    type of:
    intend, mean
    mean or intend to express or convey
  32. noun
    a series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a particular end
    “the team was ready for a drive toward the pennant”
    synonyms: campaign, cause, crusade, effort, movement
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    types:
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    ad blitz, ad campaign, advertising campaign
    an organized program of advertisements
    anti-war movement
    a campaign against entering or continuing a war
    charm campaign
    a campaign of flattery and friendliness (by a company, politician, etc.) to become more popular and gain support
    consumerism
    a movement advocating greater protection of the interests of consumers
    campaigning, candidacy, candidature, electioneering, political campaign
    the campaign of a candidate to be elected
    fund-raising campaign, fund-raising drive, fund-raising effort
    a campaign to raise money for some cause
    feminism, feminist movement, women's lib, women's liberation movement
    the movement aimed at equal rights for women
    gay lib, gay liberation movement
    the movement aimed at liberating homosexuals from legal or social or economic oppression
    lost cause
    a defeated cause or a cause for which defeat is inevitable
    reform
    a campaign aimed to correct abuses or malpractices
    war
    a concerted campaign to end something that is injurious
    youth crusade, youth movement
    political or religious or social reform movement or agitation consisting chiefly of young people
    front-porch campaign, front-porch campaigning
    a campaign in which the candidate makes speeches but does not travel
    hustings
    the activities involved in political campaigning (especially speech making)
    whispering campaign
    the organized dissemination of derogatory rumors designed to discredit a candidate
    stumping
    campaigning for something by making political speeches (stump speeches)
    sales campaign
    an advertising campaign intended to promote sales
    public-relations campaign
    an advertising campaign intended to improve public relations
    type of:
    venture
    any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome
  33. noun
    a physiological state corresponding to a strong need or desire
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    types:
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    hunger, hungriness
    a physiological need for food; the consequence of food deprivation
    thirst, thirstiness
    a physiological need to drink
    sex drive
    a physiological need for sexual activity
    hypoxia
    oxygen deficiency causing a very strong drive to correct the deficiency
    bulimia
    pathologically insatiable hunger (especially when caused by brain lesions)
    emptiness
    having an empty stomach
    edacity, esurience, ravenousness, voraciousness, voracity
    excessive desire to eat
    famishment, starvation
    a state of extreme hunger resulting from lack of essential nutrients over a prolonged period
    malnourishment, undernourishment
    not having enough food to develop or function normally
    dehydration
    depletion of bodily fluids
    polydipsia
    excessive thirst (as in cases of diabetes or kidney dysfunction)
    anemic hypoxia
    hypoxia resulting from a decreased concentration of hemoglobin
    hypoxic hypoxia
    hypoxia resulting from defective oxygenation of the blood in the lungs
    ischemic hypoxia, stagnant hypoxia
    hypoxia resulting from slow peripheral circulation (such as follows congestive cardiac failure)
    altitude sickness
    effects (as nosebleed or nausea) of oxygen deficiency in the blood and tissues at high altitudes
    anoxia
    severe hypoxia; absence of oxygen in inspired gases or in arterial blood or in the tissues
    asphyxiation, suffocation
    the condition of being deprived of oxygen (as by having breathing stopped)
    type of:
    physical condition, physiological condition, physiological state
    the condition or state of the body or bodily functions
  34. noun
    the trait of being highly motivated
    “his drive and energy exhausted his co-workers”
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    types:
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    action
    the trait of being active and energetic and forceful
    enterprise, enterprisingness, go-ahead, initiative
    readiness to embark on bold new ventures
    ambition, ambitiousness
    a strong drive for success
    energy, get-up-and-go, push
    enterprising or ambitious drive
    aggressiveness
    the quality of being bold and enterprising
    aspiration
    a will to succeed
    power hunger, status seeking
    a drive to acquire power
    second wind
    renewed energy or strength to continue an undertaking
    competitiveness, fight
    an aggressive willingness to compete
    combativeness, militance, militancy
    a militant aggressiveness
    intrusiveness, meddlesomeness, officiousness
    aggressiveness as evidenced by intruding; by advancing yourself or your ideas without invitation
    boldness, brass, cheek, face, nerve
    impudent aggressiveness
    type of:
    trait
    a distinguishing feature of your personal nature
Pronunciation
US

/draɪv/

UK

/draɪv/

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