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3
as in to push
to apply force to (someone or something) so that it moves in front of one
drove the plunger into the opening
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4
as in to force
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
the corrupt governor was driven out of office
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5
as in to activate
to cause to function
machinery driven by waterpower
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6
as in to move
to set or keep in motion
this motor drives the gears, which then turn the shaft
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7
as in to travel
to proceed or move quickly
the runner drove past the finish line and then came to a dead stop
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1
as in road
a passage cleared for public vehicular travel
raced our motorcycles along the drive
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2
as in campaign
a series of activities undertaken to achieve a goal
a fund-raising drive for the school's marching band
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3
as in desire
a strong wish for something
a drive to succeed in the television news business
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4
as in energy
active strength of body or mind
senior citizens who exercise regularly are more likely to have the drive to keep up with their grandchildren
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5
as in ambition
readiness to engage in daring or difficult activity
a great opportunity for a sales representative who is full of drive
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of drive
Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2024
Keep in mind that this gearing will drain the battery more than when driven at slower city speeds.
—New Atlas, 14 Dec. 2024
Umar Shakir, The Verge, 7 Feb. 2023
As part of the drive for efficiency, NHS managers were pressured to keep bed vacancies low.
—David Luhnow, WSJ, 6 Feb. 2023
See all Example Sentences for drive 
Verb
Advertisement Brian Donnelly drove from Hollywood to witness the ceremony.
—Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2024
Keep in mind that this gearing will drain the battery more than when driven at slower city speeds.
—New Atlas, 14 Dec. 2024
Noun
Details sent to the company included the health and read / write values of the drive using CrystalDiskInfo, which is a program that can read the SMART data embedded in most hard disks.
—Umar Shakir, The Verge, 7 Feb. 2023
As part of the drive for efficiency, NHS managers were pressured to keep bed vacancies low.
—David Luhnow, WSJ, 6 Feb. 2023
See all Example Sentences for drive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drive
Verb
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The Hoosier cabinet made the kitchen easier to navigate and more accessible to middle-class housewives in particular who had largely depended on housekeepers to run their kitchens.Michelle Mastro, JSTOR Daily, 18 Dec. 2024
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Survivors say abandonment creates scars that run deeper and take longer to heal than physical damage.Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 18 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The excavator motored toward a growing pile—the wall-to-be, which followed a plan laid out in software—and an algorithm predicted how the new stone would settle onto the others.James Somers, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024
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Vonk’s lawsuit accused the Neptune Society of Northern California of negligence, for the Naiad allegedly motoring at an unsafe speed and failing to keep clear of the breakwater, while no proper lookout was maintained.Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 14 Nov. 2024
Verb
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His announcement comes as Democrats look to new leadership and seek to push back on the incoming Trump administration and Republican majorities in the Senate and the House.Julia Manchester, The Hill, 16 Dec. 2024
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Opposition lawmakers had pushed an initial impeachment vote on Dec. 7, but that failed to clear the 200-votes needed to impeach Yoon after lawmakers from his ruling People’s Power Party walked out of the chamber.Lim Hui Jie,Dylan Butts, CNBC, 16 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Posey wasn’t sufficiently deterred by the fact that signing Adames, who had been extended a qualifying offer by the Brewers, will force the Giants to sacrifice their second- and fifth-round picks along with $1 million in international bonus money from their 2026 pool.Andrew Baggarly, The Athletic, 8 Dec. 2024
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About two dozen street vendors who were forced to pack up their wares as detectives investigated the shooting were spotted waiting outside the police cordon following the incident.Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 7 Dec. 2024
Verb
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In most cases, the memo said, home alarm systems were not activated and most of the homes were unoccupied at the time.Sara Ruberg, New York Times, 12 Dec. 2024
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When the fire broke out the night of Dec. 9, school officials started communicating with students around 11 p.m. and activated the shelter-in-place protocol about two hours later, spreading the word through text messages, email, social media, and by going door to door.Amy Taxin and Eric Thayer, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The team’s pattern of drafting college hitters who should move quickly says that that is not their mindset, so go spend some of Arte’s money.Keith Law, The Athletic, 11 Dec. 2024
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His wife Elizabeth, Duchess of York, became Queen in the same sweep, and their daughters, Princess Elizabeth, then 10, and Princess Margaret, then 6, each moved up a spot in the line of succession to the throne, with Princess Elizabeth heir.Janine Henni, People.com, 10 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Selleck had made a commitment to his family in Los Angeles but agreed to travel back and forth.Emily Longeretta, Variety, 12 Dec. 2024
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Common dolphins like to travel in larger groups, often over 50.Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
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This weekend, the Festival of the Arts returns to downtown Tempe and the APS Electric Light Parade returns to Phoenix, bringing with them road closures.The Arizona Republic, The Arizona Republic, 8 Dec. 2024
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Peels can create a huge mess in the drainpipes down the road.Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 7 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Drive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drive. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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