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to drive

to drive

73 1.0
To move in a certain way when someone controls a vehicle
  • verb
  • /draɪv/
translation icon : conducirse
  • So First off, the way it drives is really nice.

I think this drives better than most pickup trucks.

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Examples

  • I'm not even driving that fast.

  • Hey, it's driving better.

  • We're driving all night till we get to California.

  • I was driving it normally.

  • Where are you guys driving?

  • A perfectly preserved '68 Olds drives cautiously down the highway.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Hank's blue Packard, pulling a matching trailer, drives down Texarkana's "strip."

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The South's car drives down a scenic road, lush green fields and whitewashed stone fences.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Driving on the winding mountain roads is an exhilarating experience that makes the car drive beautifully.

  • This new model drives so smoothly that you hardly feel any bumps in the road.

Synonyms

to ride
vsto drive
37 1.3

To move so passengers feel comfortable or uncomfortable

focuses on the vehicle's own characteristics when in motion

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

Surface Forms

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

Etymology

Drive comes from Old English drīfan 'to move or control', so when we say a car 'drives' well, we mean it moves and behaves well when someone controls it.