Skip to main content
to drive

to drive

36 3.5
To hit a ball hard to make it go far
  • verb
  • /draɪv/
translation icon : golpear
  • Take a little bit later and drive it into right field.

I'm going to be able to pull up going both ways, drive the ball both ways.

Examples

  • Frank takes a looping swing, driving the ball to the gap in right center.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Tomlinson swings and drives one deep to right field!

  • I'm going to be able to pull up going both ways, drive the ball both ways.

  • Drive it in deep and hope it sticks.

  • But we did score runs, even driving two long balls in the wheat, one with two aboard.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • He throws the club head at the ball, and when he connects, he drives it, it pops off the bat.

  • He drives to the hoop and it's up, slam dunk!

  • He swings the bat with all his strength to drive the ball deep into the outfield.

  • She expertly drives the tennis ball across the net, landing it perfectly in the corner.

  • The player managed to drive the soccer ball into the goal from a long distance.

Synonyms

to hit
vsto drive
1.0

To strike someone or something with force

is the specific action of forcefully contacting a ball in sport
to strike
vsto drive
553 2.4

To hit someone or something with force

is a forceful ball contact specifically used in sports contexts
to shoot
vsto drive
299 1.3

To try to score by sending a ball toward the goal

is about making forceful contact with a ball rather than general aiming
to smash
vsto drive
50 3.3

To hit something with great force, often in sport

is similarly forceful but often used as a controlled play
to bat
vsto drive
49 1.3

To hit or try to hit a ball in a game

is a stronger, more forceful form of that usual attempt
to blast
vsto drive
45 3.5

To hit or shoot something with great force

is also powerful but more specifically a ball contact in sport
to hit the ball
vsto drive
34 1.0

To strike a ball with a bat or racket in a sport

focuses more on forceful impact rather than the usual hitting action
to kill
vsto drive
  • Jargon
10 4.7

Hit the ball or shuttlecock hard to try to win a point

is forceful too but not always aimed solely at winning instantly
to stroke
vsto drive
9 3.5

To hit a ball with a smooth, controlled movement in sports

is a harder, more forceful contact rather than a smooth touch
to spank the ball
vsto drive
  • Jargon
6.1

To hit a ball hard so it goes far

is a forceful ball contact often done with more control

Antonyms

1.0

To fail to reach or hit something you aim for

Idioms

158 3.2

Make someone very annoyed or upset

To cause people to argue or become divided on purpose

Leave a place happily at the end of a story or event

To find big holes in a law or plan and use them

To end something completely so it cannot continue

9.9

To drive in a very dangerous way that puts other people at risk

6.0

To make a car go very fast and in a dangerous way

Phrasal Verbs

271 3.9

Make someone very annoyed or upset

87 4.0

Force someone or something to leave using threats

71 3.4

To force a person, animal, or feeling to go away

70 3.8

Force someone or something to leave a place

70 3.1

To go to a place in a vehicle and stop near it

To drive a car without a fixed destination to relax

39 3.9

To make prices rise to a higher level, often quickly

To take someone in a vehicle to show them interesting places

30 2.5

To arrive at a place by car

27 4.0

To make a point very clear by saying it strongly

19 4.1

Force someone or something to move away from danger

to drive in
  • Jargon
12 4.9

In baseball, to hit the ball so a player scores

to drive at
  • Informal
9 6.5

Try to suggest something without saying it clearly when speaking or writing

To take a car for a short ride to check how it feels and works

7 4.0

To push a nail, screw, or bolt into a surface using a tool

To try a product or service for a short time to see if you like it

To reduce expenses in a company or organization

2 2.5

To operate a large truck as a job

To remove wasted effort and slow processes from a company or system

To help a project make progress by leading and taking action

to let drive
  • Archaic
8.2

To shoot something from a gun or bow

Compounds

hard drive
  • Specialized
106 2.8

A device inside a computer that stores files and lets you open them

39 3.7

Place where people stay in their cars to eat or watch a movie

37 2.5

A car trip that takes a long time

sex drive
  • NSFW
25 4.2

A natural desire to have sex

23 2.5

A place, like a restaurant or bank, where you buy things without leaving your car

22 2.7

A short ride in a car to see how it feels and works

19 5.9

A gun attack from a moving car that hits people outside

16 7.9

A quick, friendly praise given to someone in passing

four-wheel drive
  • Specialized
16 3.4

A system that powers all four wheels for better grip on rough or slippery ground

12 4.2

A hard hit in baseball that flies straight and low

disk drive
  • Specialized
6 3.5

A device in a computer that holds and spins a disk to read or write data

4 6.3

A trip moving a large group of cows, often on horseback, over long distances

CD-ROM drive
  • Archaic
2 3.7

A device in or connected to a computer that reads data from CDs

A device you connect to a computer by cable to save files

tape drive
  • Specialized
1 5.2

A machine that reads and writes data on magnetic tape to save copies of files

internal drive
  • Specialized
1 4.2

A device inside a computer that stores files, like a hard drive or solid-state drive

1 2.7

A part of a computer or music player that reads CDs

1 2.8

A regular car trip to and from work each day

drive-by killing
  • Offensive
1 8.5

An act of shooting someone to death from a moving car

A planned event to collect money for a cause

1 7.4

A hard, straight hit into the outfield that lets the batter reach second base

1 6.6

A base hit made by hitting the ball hard so the batter reaches first base

drive line
  • Specialized
7.1

Parts that send power from the engine to the wheels that move the car

drive line system
  • Specialized
6.0

A vehicle system that sends engine power to the driving wheels

drive-by event
  • Neologism
4.6

A gathering where people stay in their cars and take part briefly

drive-by media
  • Literature
9.1

News outlets that give quick, shallow reports and often miss important facts

automatic drive
  • Specialized
3.2

A car system that changes gears by itself based on speed

automatic drive
  • Specialized
4.1

A mode in which a car moves, steers, and brakes using sensors and software

A hard straight shot hit with the racket across the body in tennis

fluid drive
  • Archaic
7.8

A device that uses fluid to connect an engine to the drive shaft smoothly

A hard straight shot hit from the side you hold the racket, used in tennis or badminton

5.3

A hard low hit in baseball that lets the batter reach third base

fusee drive
  • Archaic
9.9

A cone-shaped part in old clocks that keeps spring power steady as it unwinds

4.6

A car you rent and drive yourself

8.9

A car you rent and drive yourself for a short time

whist drive
  • Archaic
9.8

A social event where people play whist in rounds, often to raise money

7.5

A hard disk with a sealed case used in older computers to store data

How Forceful

to smash
50 3.3
to drive
36 3.5
to strike
553 2.4
hit
459 1.0
tap
66 1.0

Surface Forms

drive infinitive
driving present participle
drives third person singular
drove past
driven past participle

Etymology

Drive comes from Old English drīfan 'to push or strike', so in sport to drive the ball is to hit it hard and send it forward.