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to drive

to drive

∞ 1.0
To operate a car or give someone a ride
  • verb
  • /draɪv/
: conducir
  • I offered to drive my friend to the airport this morning.
  • drive a car
  • learn to drive
  • drive home

And you stay at home, but you drive the RC car.

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Examples

  • We'll drive to Miami, have some laughs, lie in the sun.

  • We've driven down here to the beautiful Jersey shore.

  • And then, I drive straight here.

  • - We could just drive, you and me.

  • I thought perhaps we could drive up together.

  • When we got into the car to drive over, I mentioned that to him.

    Academic text (2011)
  • I want to see how fast I can drive this thing on salt.

  • We ate at Scandia on the Strip, and then drove back through the Malibu Canyon.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Following the chickie run, Jim drives Judy home with Plato in tow.

    Academic text (2017)
  • I picked prickly pear fruit and tasted it, then we drove on, maybe to Yarnell.

    Academic text (2015)

Synonyms

to motor
vsto drive
12 4.0

To travel by car for pleasure

focuses on operating or giving rides rather than being transported for pleasure
to chauffeur
vsto drive
10 6.0

To drive someone in a private car for pay

gives rides or operates a vehicle without being a paid professional
to tool
vsto drive
  • Informal
7 8.4

To drive a car or other vehicle slowly without a plan

covers operating or giving rides broadly, not only casual pleasure trips

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

To move on foot at a normal speed

Idioms

46 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

1 6.0

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

To end something completely so it cannot continue

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

9.9

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

Phrasal Verbs

220 3.9

Make someone very annoyed or upset

214 2.3

To drive a car without a fixed destination to relax

144 3.1

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

124 3.8

Force someone or something to leave a place

75 3.4

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

67 2.5

To operate a large truck as a job

54 2.5

To arrive at a place by car

52 3.9

To make prices rise to a higher level, often quickly

35 4.0

Force someone or something to leave using threats

25 4.0

To make a point very clear by saying it strongly

21 4.1

Force someone or something to move away from danger

17 3.1

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

to drive in
  • Jargon
13 4.9

In baseball, to hit the ball so a player scores

To take someone in a vehicle to show them interesting places

to drive at
  • Informal
10 6.5

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

5 4.0

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

To reduce expenses in a company or organization

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

to let drive
  • Archaic
1 8.2

To shoot something from a gun or bow

To help a project make progress by leading and taking action

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

Compounds

hard drive
  • Specialized
146 2.8

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

48 2.5

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

47 3.7

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

44 2.5

A car trip that takes a long time

33 2.7

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

sex drive
  • NSFW
27 4.2

A natural desire to have sex

four-wheel drive
  • Specialized
21 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

11 5.9

A gun attack from a moving car that hits people outside

disk drive
  • Specialized
9 3.5

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

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

6 6.3

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

4 2.7

A part of a computer or music player that reads CDs

CD-ROM drive
  • Archaic
2 3.7

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

internal drive
  • Specialized
2 4.2

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

tape drive
  • Specialized
1 5.2

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

A planned event to collect money for a cause

drive line
  • Specialized
1 7.1

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

1 2.8

A regular car trip to and from work each day

drive-by media
  • Literature
1 9.1

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

1 7.4

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

automatic drive
  • Specialized
1 3.2

A car system that changes gears by itself based on speed

1 6.6

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

whist drive
  • Archaic
1 9.8

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

drive-by killing
  • Offensive
1 8.5

An act of shooting someone to death from a moving car

fluid drive
  • Archaic
1 7.8

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

1 7.5

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

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

automatic drive
  • Specialized
1 4.1

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

1 4.6

A car you rent and drive yourself

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

1 5.3

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

1 8.9

A car you rent and drive yourself for a short time

1 7.9

A quick, friendly praise given to someone in passing

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

fusee drive
  • Archaic
9.9

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

How Fast

to fly
861 2.3
to drive
∞ 1.0
to cab
  • Informal
5 2.8
to cycle
15 1.8
to walk
∞ 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, which meant 'to push' or 'to chase'. So to drive a car is like 'pushing' and controlling it to move forward.