Drive — Defs

01 v. t. To impel or urge onward by force in a direction away from one, or along before one; to push forward; to compel to move on; to communicate m…

imp. Drove; p. p. Driven; p. pr. & vb. n. Driving

1.
To impel or urge onward by force in a direction away from one, or along before one; to push forward; to compel to move on; to communicate motion to; as, to drive cattle; to drive a nail; smoke drives persons from a room.
“A storm came on and drove them into Pylos.” — Jowett (Thucyd. ).

“Shield pressed on shield, and man drove man along.” — Pope.

“Go drive the deer and drag the finny prey.” — Pope.
2.
To urge on and direct the motions of, as the beasts which draw a vehicle, or the vehicle borne by them; hence, also, to take in a carriage; to convey in a vehicle drawn by beasts; as, to drive a pair of horses or a stage; to drive a person to his own door.
“How . . . proud he was to drive such a brother!” — Thackeray.
3.
To urge, impel, or hurry forward; to force; to constrain; to urge, press, or bring to a point or state; as, to drive a person by necessity, by persuasion, by force of circumstances, by argument, and the like.
“He, driven to dismount, threatened, if I did not do the like, to do as much for my horse as fortune had done for his.” — Sir P. Sidney.
4.
To carry or; to keep in motion; to conduct; to prosecute.[Now used only colloquially.]
“The trade of life can not be driven without partners.” — Collier.
5.
To clear, by forcing away what is contained.
“To drive the country, force the swains away.” — Dryden.
6.
To dig Horizontally; to cut a horizontal gallery or tunnel.(Mining)
7.
To pass away; -- said of time.[Obs.]
8.
Specif., in various games, as tennis, baseball, etc., to propel (the ball) swiftly by a direct stroke or forcible throw.
9.
to operate (a vehicle) while it is on motion, by manipulating the controls, such as the steering, propulsion, and braking mechanisms.

02 n. In various games, as tennis, cricket, etc., the act of player who drives the ball; the stroke or blow; the flight of the ball, etc., so driven.

1.
In various games, as tennis, cricket, etc., the act of player who drives the ball; the stroke or blow; the flight of the ball, etc., so driven.
2.
A stroke from the tee, generally a full shot made with a driver; also, the distance covered by such a stroke.(Golf)

03 v. i. To rush and press with violence; to move furiously.

1.
To rush and press with violence; to move furiously.
“Fierce Boreas drove against his flying sails.” — Dryden.

“Under cover of the night and a driving tempest.” — Prescott.

“Time driveth onward fast, And in a little while our lips are dumb.” — Tennyson.
2.
To be forced along; to be impelled; to be moved by any physical force or agent; to be driven.
“The hull drives on, though mast and sail be torn.” — Byron.

“The chaise drives to Mr. Draper's chambers.” — Thackeray.
3.
To go by carriage; to pass in a carriage; to proceed by directing or urging on a vehicle or the animals that draw it; as, the coachman drove to my door.
4.
To press forward; to aim, or tend, to a point; to make an effort; to strive; -- usually with at.
“Let them therefore declare what carnal or secular interest he drove at.” — South.
5.
To distrain for rent.[Obs.]
6.
To make a drive, or stroke from the tee.(Golf)
7.
to go from one place to another in a vehicle, serving as the operator of the vehicle; to drive{9} a vehicle from one location to another.

Phrases & compounds

To let drive — to aim a blow; to strike with force; to attack.

04 p. p. Driven.

1.
Driven.[Obs.]

05 n. The act of driving; a trip or an excursion in a carriage, as for exercise or pleasure; -- distinguished from a ride taken on horseback.

1.
The act of driving; a trip or an excursion in a carriage, as for exercise or pleasure; -- distinguished from a ride taken on horseback.
2.
A place suitable or agreeable for driving; a road prepared for driving.
3.
Violent or rapid motion; a rushing onward or away; esp., a forced or hurried dispatch of business.
“The Murdstonian drive in business.” — M. Arnold.
4.
In type founding and forging, an impression or matrix, formed by a punch drift.
5.
A collection of objects that are driven; a mass of logs to be floated down a river.[Colloq.]
6.
a private road; a driveway.
7.
a strong psychological motivation to perform some activity.
8.
a device for reading or writing data from or to a data storage medium, as a disk drive, a tape drive, a CD drive, etc.(Computers)
9.
an organized effort by a group to accomplish a goal within a limited period of time; as, a fund-raising drive.
10.
a physiological function of an organism motivating it to perform specific behaviors; as, the sex drive.
11.
the period during which one team sustains movement of the ball toward the opponent's goal without losing possession of the ball; as, a long drive downfield.(Football)
12.
an act of driving a vehicle, especially an automobile; the journey undertaken by driving an automobile; as, to go for a drive in the country.
13.
the mechanism which causes the moving parts of a machine to move; as, a belt drive.
14.
the way in which the propulsive force of a vehicle is transmitted to the road; as, a car with four-wheel drive, front-wheel drive, etc.

Syn. See Ride.