drive

[drahyv] /draɪv/
verb (used with object), drove or (Archaic) drave, driven, driving.
1.
to send, expel, or otherwise cause to move by force or compulsion:
to drive away the flies; to drive back an attacking army; to drive a person to desperation.
2.
to cause and guide the movement of (a vehicle, an animal, etc.):
to drive a car; to drive a mule.
3.
to convey in a vehicle:
She drove them to the station.
4.
to force to work or act:
He drove the workers until they collapsed.
5.
to impel; constrain; urge; compel.
6.
to carry (business, an agreement, etc.) vigorously through:
He drove a hard bargain.
7.
to keep (machinery) going.
8.
Baseball.
  1. to cause the advance of (a base runner) by a base hit or sacrifice fly:
    He drove him home with a scratch single.
  2. to cause (a run) to be scored by a base hit or sacrifice fly:
    He drove in two runs.
9.
Golf. to hit (a golf ball), especially from the tee, as with a driver or driving iron:
She drove the ball within ten feet of the pin.
10.
Sports.
  1. to hit or propel (a ball, puck, shuttlecock, etc.) very hard.
  2. to kick (a ball) with much force.
11.
Hunting.
  1. to chase (game).
  2. to search (a district) for game.
12.
to float (logs) down a river or stream.
13.
(in mining, construction, etc.) to excavate (a mine or tunnel heading).
verb (used without object), drove or (Archaic) drave, driven, driving.
14.
to cause and guide the movement of a vehicle or animal, especially to operate an automobile.
15.
to go or travel in a driven vehicle:
He drives to work with me.
16.
Golf. to hit a golf ball, especially from the tee, as with a driver or driving iron:
He drove long and straight throughout the match.
17.
to strive vigorously toward a goal or objective; to work, play, or try wholeheartedly and with determination.
18.
to go along before an impelling force; be impelled:
The ship drove before the wind.
19.
to rush or dash violently.
noun
20.
the act of driving.
21.
a trip in a vehicle, especially a short pleasure trip:
a Sunday drive in the country.
22.
an impelling along, as of game, cattle, or floating logs, in a particular direction.
23.
the animals, logs, etc., thus driven.
24.
Psychology. an inner urge that stimulates activity or inhibition; a basic or instinctive need:
the hunger drive; sex drive.
25.
a vigorous onset or onward course toward a goal or objective:
the drive toward the goal line.
26.
a strong military offensive.
27.
a united effort to accomplish some specific purpose, especially to raise money, as for a charity.
28.
energy and initiative:
a person with great drive.
29.
vigorous pressure or effort, as in business.
30.
a road for vehicles, especially a scenic one, as in or along a park, or a short one, as an approach to a house.
31.
Machinery. a driving mechanism, as of an automobile:
gear drive; chain drive.
32.
Automotive. the point or points of power application to the roadway:
front-wheel drive; four-wheel drive.
33.
Sports.
  1. an act or instance of driving a ball, puck, shuttlecock, or the like.
  2. the flight of such a ball, puck, shuttlecock, or the like, that has been driven with much force.
34.
Golf. a shot, especially with a driver or driving iron from the tee, that is intended to carry a great distance.
35.
a hunt in which game is driven toward stationary hunters.
36.
Electronics. excitation (def 5).
adjective
37.
noting or pertaining to a part of a machine or vehicle used for its propulsion.
Verb phrases
38.
drive at, to attempt or intend to convey; allude to; suggest:
What are you driving at?
Idioms
39.
let drive, to aim a blow or missile at; attack:
He let drive at his pursuers.
Origin
before 900; Middle English drīven, Old English drīfan; cognate with Dutch drijven, Old Norse drīfa, Gothic dreiban, German treiben
Related forms
drivable, driveable, adjective
nondrivable, adjective
nondriveable, adjective
predrive, verb, predrove, predriven, predriving.
redrive, verb, redrove, redriven, redriving.
undrivable, adjective
Synonyms
1. push, force. 2, 15. Drive, ride are used interchangeably to mean traveling in an automobile or, formerly, in a horse-drawn vehicle. These two words are not synonyms in other connections. To drive is to maneuver, guide, or steer the progress of a vehicle, animal, etc.: to drive a bus, a horse. To ride is to be carried about by an animal or be carried as a passenger in a vehicle: to ride a horse, a train, a bus. 28. push; ambition, motivation.
Examples from the web for drive
  • Such a vehicle would use a small gasoline engine to drive a generator to keep the car going when the battery wound down.
  • If you drive to a workshop or a training session in your own vehicle and pay for the fuel, you can deduct the milage.
  • But batteries are heavy and expensive, and the cars can't drive far between recharges.
  • People drive less when they earn less, and they eat more crappy food from fastfood joints because it's much cheaper.
  • Here, a good map means the difference between a pleasant drive and an interminable one.
  • The zealous drive by politicians to limit our salt intake has little basis in science.
  • How quirks of perception drive the evolution of species.
  • The race seems likely to drive the contenders in a populist-ie, protectionist-direction.
  • All this makes for a short drive dense in attractions and rich enough to command three days of sightseeing.
  • All the crying is because some people want the right to be able to drive tanks around on the roads, to and from work.
British Dictionary definitions for drive

drive

/draɪv/
verb drives, driving, drove (drəʊv), driven (ˈdrɪvən)
1.
to push, propel, or be pushed or propelled
2.
to control and guide the movement of (a vehicle, draught animal, etc): to drive a car
3.
(transitive) to compel or urge to work or act, esp excessively
4.
(transitive) to goad or force into a specified attitude or state: work drove him to despair
5.
(transitive) to cause (an object) to make or form (a hole, crack, etc): his blow drove a hole in the wall
6.
to move or cause to move rapidly by striking or throwing with force
7.
(sport) to hit (a ball) very hard and straight, as (in cricket) with the bat swinging more or less vertically
8.
(golf) to strike (the ball) with a driver, as in teeing off
9.
(transitive)
  1. to chase (game) from cover into more open ground
  2. to search (an area) for game
10.
to transport or be transported in a driven vehicle
11.
(intransitive) to rush or dash violently, esp against an obstacle or solid object: the waves drove against the rock
12.
(transitive) to carry through or transact with vigour (esp in the phrase drive a hard bargain)
13.
(transitive) to force (a component) into or out of its location by means of blows or a press
14.
(transitive) (mining) to excavate horizontally
15.
(transitive) (NZ) to fell (a tree or trees) by the impact of another felled tree
16.
drive home
  1. to cause to penetrate to the fullest extent
  2. to make clear by special emphasis
noun
17.
the act of driving
18.
a trip or journey in a driven vehicle
19.
  1. a road for vehicles, esp a private road leading to a house
  2. (capital when part of a street name): Woodland Drive
20.
vigorous or urgent pressure, as in business
21.
a united effort, esp directed towards a common goal: a charity drive
22.
(Brit) a large gathering of persons to play cards, etc See beetle drive, whist drive
23.
energy, ambition, or initiative
24.
(psychol) a motive or interest, such as sex, hunger, or ambition, that actuates an organism to attain a goal
25.
a sustained and powerful military offensive
26.
  1. the means by which force, torque, motion, or power is transmitted in a mechanism: fluid drive
  2. (as modifier): a drive shaft
27.
(sport) a hard straight shot or stroke
28.
a search for and chasing of game towards waiting guns
29.
(electronics) the signal applied to the input of an amplifier
Derived Forms
drivable, driveable, adjective
drivability, driveability, noun
Word Origin
Old English drīfan; related to Old Frisian drīva, Old Norse drīfa, Gothic dreiban, Old High German trīban
Word Origin and History for drive
v.

Old English drifan "to drive, force, hunt, pursue; rush against" (class I strong verb; past tense draf, past participle drifen), from Proto-Germanic *dribanan (cf. Old Frisian driva, Old Saxon driban, Dutch drijven, Old High German triban, German treiben, Old Norse drifa, Gothic dreiban "to drive"). Not found outside Germanic. Original sense of "pushing from behind," altered in Modern English by application to automobiles. Related: Driving.

MILLER: "The more you drive, the less intelligent you are." ["Repo Man," 1984]

n.

1690s, "act of driving," from drive (v.). Meaning "excursion by vehicle" is from 1785. Golfing sense of "forcible blow" is from 1836. Meaning "organized effort to raise money" is 1889, American English. Sense of "dynamism" is from 1908. In the computing sense, first attested 1963.

drive in Medicine

drive (drīv)
n.
A strong motivating tendency or instinct, especially of sexual or aggressive origin, that prompts activity toward a particular end.

Slang definitions & phrases for drive

drive

noun
  1. Dynamism; insistent power: a song with drive (1908+)
  2. A thrill or transport of pleasure and energy; kick, rush (1927+ Narcotics)
verb

To play music, esp jazz, with strong forward impetus and rhythms (1930s+ Jazz musicians)

Related Terms

big drive


drive in Technology
storage
A peripheral device that allows a computer to read or/or write some storage medium such as a hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic tape, compact disc or DVD. These would be called a disk drive, magnetic tape drive, etc. CD and DVD drives are known collectively as optical drives. When unqualified the term probably refers to a hard disk drive.
The term "drive" refers particularly to the electrical components such as electric motors and head positioning system, read-write heads and associated electronics.
Of the above storage media, typically only hard disks are fixed, the rest being removable. Most PCs in 2009 include one disk drive and one optical drive housed in the main PC enclosure. Extra drives can be connected externally via USB, SCSI or Firewire. Magnetic tape is always removable and tape drives are typically external.
Not to be confused with a "driver" meaning device driver - software used to access a peripheral device.
(2009-12-01)