Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to drive out inefficiency

to drive out inefficiency

4.8
To remove wasted effort and slow processes from a company or system
  • phrasal verb
  • Jargon
translation icon : eliminar ineficiencias
  • Until recently, healthcare service providers have been sheltered from the level of competition they now face, and they have had little incentive to drive out inefficiency and embrace customer satisfaction.

Examples

  • The new management team implemented strategies to drive out inefficiency and improve productivity.

  • To stay competitive in the market, the company must drive out inefficiency and streamline its operations.

  • In order to enhance performance, we need to drive out inefficiency from our manufacturing process.

Synonyms

to optimize
vsto drive out inefficiency
69 5.3

Make something work as well as possible

focuses on removing waste and ineffectiveness rather than achieving the best possible state
to drain the swamp
vsto drive out inefficiency
  • US
6 7.9

To remove corruption and waste from a government or company

targets only wastefulness and ineffectiveness rather than broader corruption

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

drive + out + inefficiency

The meaning is directly compositional: 'drive' (to force or push) combined with the particle 'out' (indicating removal or expulsion) applied to 'inefficiency' yields ‘force/remove inefficiency’. This phrasal-verb pattern ('drive out' = expel/remove) is common in English and has clear parallels in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

Drive out inefficiency uses the image of drive out, like pushing animals or pests out of a barn so the place is clean. So drive out inefficiency means 'to remove' wasteful or slow parts from a system so it works better.