drive meaning and definition

DRIVE noun

Definition of drive (noun)

1. the act of applying force to propel something
   • "after reaching the desired velocity the drive is cut off"
   • synonyms: driving force, thrust
2. a mechanism by which force or power is transmitted in a machine
   • "a variable speed drive permitted operation through a range of speeds"
3. a series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a particular end
   • "he supported populist campaigns"; "they worked in the cause of world peace"; "the team was ready for a drive toward the pennant"; "the movement to end slavery"; "contributed to the war effort"
   • synonyms: campaign, cause, crusade, effort, movement
4. a road leading up to a private house
   • "they parked in the driveway"
   • synonyms: driveway, private road
5. the trait of being highly motivated
   • "his drive and energy exhausted his co-workers"
6. hitting a golf ball off of a tee with a driver
   • "he sliced his drive out of bounds"
   • synonyms: driving
7. the act of driving a herd of animals overland
8. a journey in a vehicle (usually an automobile)
   • "he took the family for a drive in his new car"
   • synonyms: ride
9. a physiological state corresponding to a strong need or desire
10. (computer science) a device that writes data onto or reads data from a storage medium
11. a wide scenic road planted with trees
    • "the riverside drive offers many exciting scenic views"
    • synonyms: parkway
12. (sports) a hard straight return (as in tennis or squash)

DRIVE verb

Definition of drive (verb)

1. operate or control a vehicle
   • "drive a car or bus"; "Can you drive this four-wheel truck?"
2. travel or be transported in a vehicle
   • "We drove to the university every morning"; "They motored to London for the theater"
   • synonyms: motor
3. cause someone or something to move by driving
   • "She drove me to school every day"; "We drove the car to the garage"
4. force into or from an action or state, either physically or metaphorically
   • "She rammed her mind into focus"; "He drives me mad"
   • synonyms: force, ram
5. to compel or force or urge relentlessly or exert coercive pressure on, or motivate strongly
   • "She is driven by her passion"
6. cause to move back by force or influence
   • "repel the enemy"; "push back the urge to smoke"; "beat back the invaders"
   • synonyms: beat back, force back, push back, repel, repulse
   • antonym: attract
7. compel somebody to do something, often against his own will or judgment
   • "She finally drove him to change jobs"
8. push, propel, or press with force
   • "Drive a nail into the wall"
9. cause to move rapidly by striking or throwing with force
   • "drive the ball far out into the field"
10. strive and make an effort to reach a goal
    • "She tugged for years to make a decent living"; "We have to push a little to make the deadline!"; "She is driving away at her doctoral thesis"
    • synonyms: labor, labour, push, tug
11. move into a desired direction of discourse
    • "What are you driving at?"
    • synonyms: aim, get
12. have certain properties when driven
    • "This car rides smoothly"; "My new truck drives well"
    • synonyms: ride
13. work as a driver
    • "He drives a bread truck"; "She drives for the taxi company in Newark"
14. move by being propelled by a force
    • "The car drove around the corner"
15. urge forward
    • "drive the cows into the barn"
16. proceed along in a vehicle
    • "We drive the turnpike to work"
    • synonyms: take
17. strike with a driver, as in teeing off
    • "drive a golf ball"
18. hit very hard, as by swinging a bat horizontally
    • "drive a ball"
19. excavate horizontally
    • "drive a tunnel"
20. 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"
21. hunting: search for game
    • "drive the forest"
22. hunting: chase from cover into more open ground
    • "drive the game"