26984 words

drive

34 definitions • 79 examples
1
to move or travel on land in a motor vehicle, especially as the person controlling the vehicle's movement:

Examples:

I'm learning to drive.
"Are you going by train?" "No, I'm driving."
She drives a red sports car.
They're driving to Chicago on Tuesday.
drive on We saw their car outside the house and drove on.
drive away He just got back in the car and drove away.
drive past You could drive right past without even knowing it's there.
drive someone to something I drove my daughter to school.
Come on, I'll drive you home.
2
to force someone or something to go somewhere or do something:

Examples:

drive someone/something into something They used dogs to drive the sheep into a pen.
A post had been driven (= hit hard) into the ground near the tree.
drive someone/something from something By the end of the year, most of the occupying troops had been driven from the city.
drive someone/something away The little birds fly around the owl, pecking at it, trying to drive it away.
If you aren't careful, your jealousy will drive her away.
drive someone to do something In the end, it was his violent behaviour that drove her to leave home.
3
to force someone or something into a particular state, often an unpleasant one:

Examples:

drive someone/something to something In the course of history, love has driven men and women to strange extremes.
Their fourth year without rain drove many farmers to despair.
Recent events have driven the stock market to lows not seen in ten years.
4
to make someone extremely annoyed:

Examples:

My mother-in-law has been staying with us this past week and she's driving me crazy.
5
to make you very excited, especially sexually:

Examples:

When he runs his fingers through my hair, it drives me wild!
6
to provide the power to keep a machine working, or to make something happen:

Examples:

The engine drives the wheels.
Water drives the turbines that produce electricity.
7
If you drive a ball, such as in golf, cricket, baseball, or football, you hit or kick it hard so that it travels a long way:

Examples:

Slater drove the ball down the fairway.
From the free kick, Owen drove the ball straight at the keeper.
Some of the fans were applauding Montgomerie as he drove off the third tee.
8
in sports such as basketball and rugby, to move quickly and forcefully with the ball to try to score:

Examples:

Kate drove to the basket, shot and rimmed it.
Bristol went for the corner from a penalty and drove for the line.
9
in baseball, to cause a run to be scored or allow a runner to move to the next base when you hit the ball:

Examples:

drive in He whacked four hits and drove in six runs.
Miller drove him in with a single.
10
a journey by car:

Examples:

It's a long drive from Auckland to Wellington.
go for a drive Shall we go for a drive this afternoon?
11
the system used to power a vehicle:

Examples:

left-hand drive a car with left-hand drive (= in which the driver sits in the seat on the left)
four-wheel drive a four-wheel drive vehicle
12
used in the names of some roads, especially roads containing houses:

Examples:

12 Maple Drive
13
a private area in front of a house or other building onto which you can drive and park your car :

Examples:

in the drive I parked in the drive.
on the drive Each house has a car on the drive.
14
a planned effort to achieve or encourage something:

Examples:

drive to Skyrocketing gas prices have sparked a drive to reduce the country's reliance on fossil fuels.
launch a drive She launched a drive to gather thousands of signatures for a petition against the new road.
The government has launched a mental health drive.
drive for He is leading a major drive for efficiency.
15
an event organized in order to collect money or other things given by people, usually in order to help others:

Examples:

hold a drive The school will hold a fundraising drive to pay for the project.
organize a drive She helped organize clothing drives for people who are homeless or destitute.
He organized a shoe drive that collected more than 1,000 pairs of shoes to be sent overseas.
If rescue workers need blankets, we could have a blanket drive.
16

Examples:

a hard drive
a DVD drive
a CD drive
17
energy and determination to achieve things:

Examples:

We are looking for someone with drive and ambition.
drive to He has the drive to succeed.
18
in sports such as golf, cricket, baseball, or football, a powerful hit or kick that sends a ball a long way:

Examples:

Her drive off the tee strayed too far left.
He scored in the 62nd minute with a low angled drive.
19
in sports such as basketball or rugby, a fast, forceful movement towards the basket or try line:

Examples:

Gibson was fouled on a second-quarter drive to the basket.
Their forwards made their dominance of possession count with a series of drives to the line.
20
to travel in a motor vehicle, esp. as the person who operates it:

Examples:

[ T ] We drove 40 miles to visit my aunt.
[ I ] She drove through Pennsylvania to Ohio.
[ I ] She never learned how to drive (= operate a car).
[ T ] I’ll drive you to the station (= take you there in my car).
21
to force someone or something to go somewhere or do something:

Examples:

He drove a nail into the wall.
He was driven (= His actions were caused) by greed.
22
to provide the power to make a machine operate:

Examples:

The water pump is driven by a windmill.
23
a trip in a motor vehicle:

Examples:

We have a 200-mile drive ahead of us.
24
A drive is also a road for cars and is sometimes used as part of a name:

Examples:

Riverside Drive
25
a planned, usually long-lasting, effort to achieve something:

Examples:

The university sponsored a blood drive (= effort to collect blood) for the Red Cross.
26
strong determination to do or achieve something:

Examples:

[ U ] Intelligence isn’t enough – you’ve got to have the drive to succeed.
27
to cause or influence something:

Examples:

be driven by sth The country needs to shift from export-led growth to growth driven by domestic demand.
This company is driven by customers and by the markets in which we do our business.
28
to cause something to progress, develop, or grow stronger:

Examples:

29
to force something to happen or someone to do something:

Examples:

drive sb/sth into/out of/to sth Analysts say these policies will drive the economy into recession.
The prospect of a consumer boom helped drive the stock market to new peaks yesterday.
30
to be in control of a situation:

Examples:

With employers fighting among themselves for staff, IT workers are in the driving seat.
He believes there will be consolidation in the airline industry and wants his company to be in the driver's seat of any merger.
31
to expect a lot in exchange for what you pay or agree to:

Examples:

The unions are driving a hard bargain on pay.
32
an effort to achieve something:

Examples:

drive for sth The supermarket continues in its relentless drive for expansion.
drive to do sth They are expanding their telephone banking service for small businesses in a key part of their drive to cut costs and boost efficiency.
a recruitment/marketing/cost-cutting drive
33

Examples:

a CD-ROM/DVD drive
34
energy and determination to achieve things:

Examples:

We're looking for someone with drive and ambition to fill this important post.
drive to do sth She has the drive to succeed.

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