to be adrift

Examples

• All

• So he said he was adrift at sea and he said the US Coast Guard picked him up, right?

• I was adrift for several days, you know.

  Ghosts of Mars (2001)

• He's been adrift for 30 days.

  Academic text (2011)

• Immediately, the raft nudged away from the dock and we were adrift.

  Fiction book (1999)

• He was adrift at sea for approximately 40 minutes before being rescued by the Honduran Navy/Marines.

  Blog text (8)

• After the storm destroyed their boat, they found themselves adrift in the ocean with no land in sight.

• The old fishing vessel was left adrift in the harbor, slowly drifting away from the pier.

• With no captain to steer, the yacht was adrift in the still waters of the bay.

Synonyms

F

to float

vsto be adrift

645 1.0

To stay or move on water without sinking, sometimes in the air

focuses on being carried by currents without steering or anchoring rather than mere surface motion

D

to drift

vsto be adrift

331 2.9

To move slowly without a clear direction, for example when air or water move something

describes being physically carried by air or water without steering or anchoring

R

to run adrift

vsto be adrift

7.5

To float without control and with no clear direction, as a boat or a group's plans

is broader, applying to any air or water currents without steering or anchoring

Antonyms

S

to steer

224 1.6

To guide the direction of something, like a car or a conversation

A

to anchor

51 3.4

To hold something in place so it does not move

How Anchored

to secure

347 3.3

to be adrift

6 6.3

unmoored

3 7.0

driftless

7.9

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology