drive (drive)

verb (past drove /drəʊv/; past participle driven /ˈdrɪv(ə)n/)

• 1 [no object, usually with adverbial of direction] operate and control the direction and speed of a motor vehicle: he got into his car and drove off they drove back into town
• (of a motor vehicle) travel under the control of a driver: a car drives up, and a man gets out a stream of black cars drove by
• [with object] own or use (a specified type of car): Sue drives an estate car
• [no object] be licensed or competent to drive a motor vehicle: I take it you can drive?
• [with object] convey (someone) in a vehicle, especially a private car: his wife drove him to Regent’s Park

• 2 [with object and adverbial of direction] propel or carry along by force in a specified direction: the wind will drive you onshore
• [no object] (of wind, rain, or snow) move or fall with great force: the snow drove against him
• [with object] (of a source of power) provide the energy to set and keep (an engine or piece of machinery) in motion: turbines driven by steam
• [with object] Electronics (of a device) power or operate (another device): the interface can be used to drive a printer
• [with object] force (a stake or nail) into place by hitting or pushing it: nails are driven through the boards
• [with object and adverbial] bore (a tunnel): an engineer suggested driving a tunnel through the Judean hills
• [with object] (in ball games) hit or kick (the ball) hard with a free swing of the bat, racket, or foot: from the free kick Owen drove the ball past the keeper
• [with object] Golf strike (a ball) from the tee, typically with a driver: I’m driving the ball really well and my irons are good

• 3 [with object and adverbial of direction] urge or force (animals or people) to move in a specified direction: they drove a flock of sheep through the centre of the city the French infantry were driven back
• compel to leave: troops drove out the demonstrators he wanted to drive me away

• 4 [with object] (of a fact or feeling) compel (someone) to act in a particular way, especially one that is considered undesirable or inappropriate: he was driven by ambition [with object and infinitive]: some people are driven to murder their tormentors
• [with object] bring (someone) forcibly into a specified negative state: the thought drove him to despair [with object and complement]: my laziness drives my wife crazy
• [with object] force (someone) to work to an excessive extent: you’re driving yourself too hard
• cause (something abstract) to happen or develop: the consumer has been driving the economy for a number of years we need to allow market forces to drive growth in the telecommunications sector

noun

• 1a trip or journey in a car: they went for a drive in the country
• [in names] a street or road: Hammond Drive
• (also driveway) a short road leading from a public road to a house or other building: from the window he could see right down the weedy drive to the front gate

• 2 Psychology an innate, biologically determined urge to attain a goal or satisfy a need: her emotional and sexual drives
• [mass noun] determination and ambition to achieve something: his drive helped Leeds to four Cup finals

• 3an organized effort by a number of people to achieve a purpose: a recruitment drive by the police
• British an organized gathering to play whist or another game, involving many players: a whist drive

• 4 [mass noun] the transmission of power to machinery or to the wheels of a motor vehicle: he experimented with chain drive to run the propeller
• (in a car with automatic transmission) the position of the gear selector in which the car will move forward, changing gears automatically as required: he threw the car into drive
• [count noun] Computingshort for disk drive. insert the disk into drive A

• 5(in ball games) a forceful stroke made with a free swing of the bat, racket, or foot against the ball: a hard drive to left field
• Golf a shot from the tee: Greg hit a good drive at the 18th

• 6an act of driving a group of animals to a particular destination: cattle were no longer taken on long drives, but were delivered by rail