driver

[drahy-ver] /ˈdraɪ vər/
noun
1.
a person or thing that drives.
2.
a person who drives a vehicle; coachman, chauffeur, etc.
3.
a person who drives an animal or animals, as a drover or cowboy.
4.
Also called number one wood. Golf. a club with a wooden head whose face has almost no slope, for hitting long, low drives from the tee.
5.
Machinery.
  1. a part that transmits force or motion.
  2. the member of a pair of connected pulleys, gears, etc., that is nearer to the power source.
6.
Computers. software or hardware that controls the interface between a computer and a peripheral device.
7.
Railroads. driving wheel (def 2).
8.
British. a locomotive engineer.
9.
Audio.
  1. the part of a loudspeaker that transforms the electrical signal into sound.
  2. the entire loudspeaker.
10.
Nautical.
  1. a jib-headed spanker sail.
  2. a designation given to one of the masts abaft the mizzen on a sailing vessel having more than three masts, either the fifth or sixth from forward.
    Compare pusher (def 4), spanker (def 1b).
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English drivere. See drive, -er1
Related forms
driverless, adjective
nondriver, noun
Examples from the web for driver
  • driver and vehicle information, consumer protection, elections department.
  • The vehicle had been there for two days, as its driver was staying at the hotel.
  • Construction will be another strong economic driver, especially as hydroelectric dam and road projects gain steam.
  • On one occasion he had a fight with a drunken and reckless driver who was urging to top speed a spirited horse.
  • Dismissing the driver she took the reins in her own hands and drove off at top speed through the streets.
  • He was a driver in the artillery, and had only come into action about seven.
  • The pair plunge-the driver has lost the reins-horses, driver and wagon go into a heap by a tree.
  • For example, the system could automatically slow the car if it senses the driver is hitting the gas pedal for no reason.
  • Within twenty seconds, the board reveals whether the driver's condition is suitable to drive.
  • And in nearly half of those, the driver never touched the brakes.
British Dictionary definitions for driver

driver

/ˈdraɪvə/
noun
1.
a person who drives a vehicle
2.
in the driver's seat, in a position of control
3.
a person who drives animals
4.
a mechanical component that exerts a force on another to produce motion
5.
(golf) a club, a No. 1 wood, with a large head and deep face for tee shots
6.
(electronics) a circuit whose output provides the input of another circuit
7.
(computing) a computer program that controls a device
8.
something that creates and fuels activity, or gives force or impetus
Derived Forms
driverless, adjective
Word Origin and History for driver
n.

"one who drives" in various senses, c.1400; agent noun from drive (v.). Slavery sense is attested by 1796. Driver's seat is attested by 1867; figurative use by 1954.

Slang definitions & phrases for driver

driver

noun

An airplane pilot (Vietnam War Air Force & Navy)

Related Terms

backseat driver, hack-driver, pencil-pusher, sunday driver


driver in Technology


1. device driver.
2. The main loop of an event-processing program; the code that gets commands and dispatches them for execution.
3. In the TeX world and the computerised typesetting world in general, a program that translates some device-independent or other common format to something a real device can actually understand.
[Jargon File]

Idioms and Phrases with driver

driver

see: