drifted

3 definitions • 7 examples

past simple and past participle of

to move slowly, especially as a result of outside forces, with no control over direction:

drift out to sea No one noticed that the boat had begun to drift out to sea.

drift out Many vehicle fatalities are caused by drunken, distracted, or tired drivers drifting out of their lanes.

drift in A mist drifted in from the marshes.

drift away After the band stopped playing, people drifted away in twos and threes.

drift aimlessly figurative The talk drifted aimlessly from one subject to another.

in car racing, to use a driving technique (= a method needing skill) that means the car's tyres lose their traction (= their firm hold on the ground) but the driver still has control of the car's direction, used for example when going around a corner fast:

She has always been interested in cars and at the age of 21 she learned how to drift.

The image shows him drifting his car around a race track bend.