v. & n.
v. (past drove; past part. driven) 1 tr. (usu. foll. by away, back, in, out, to, etc.) urge in some direction, esp. forcibly (drove back the wolves). 2 tr. a (usu. foll. by to + infin., or to + verbal noun) compel or constrain forcibly (was driven to complain; drove her to stealing). b (often foll. by to) force into a specified state (drove him mad; driven to despair). c (often refl.) urge to overwork (drives himself too hard). 3 a tr. (also absol.) operate and direct the course of (a vehicle, a locomotive, etc.) (drove a sports car; drives well). b tr. & intr. convey or be conveyed in a vehicle (drove them to the station; drove to the station in a bus) (cf. RIDE). c tr. (also absol.) be licensed or competent to drive (a vehicle) (does he drive?). d tr. (also absol.) urge and direct the course of (an animal drawing a vehicle or plough). 4 tr. (of wind, water, etc.) carry along, propel, send, or cause to go in some direction (pure as the driven snow). 5 tr. a (often foll. by into) force (a stake, nail, etc.) into place by blows (drove the nail home). b Mining bore (a tunnel, horizontal cavity, etc.). 6 tr. effect or conclude forcibly (drove a hard bargain; drove his point home). 7 tr. (of steam or other power) set or keep (machinery) going. 8 intr. (usu. foll. by at) work hard; dash, rush, or hasten. 9 tr. Cricket & Tennis hit (the ball) hard from a freely swung bat or racket. 10 tr. (often absol.) Golf strike (a ball) with a driver from the tee. 11 tr. chase or frighten (game, wild beasts, an enemy in warfare, etc.) from a large area to a smaller, to kill or capture; corner. 12 tr. Brit. hold a drift in (a forest etc.) (see DRIFT n. 9).
n. 1 an act of driving in a motor vehicle; a journey or excursion in such a vehicle (went for a pleasant drive; lives an hour's drive from us). 2 a the capacity for achievement; motivation and energy (lacks the drive needed to succeed). b Psychol. an inner urge to attain a goal or satisfy a need (unconscious emotional drives). 3 a a usu. landscaped street or road. b a usu. private road through a garden or park to a house. 4 Cricket, Golf, & Tennis a driving stroke of the bat etc. 5 an organized effort to achieve a usu. charitable purpose (a famine-relief drive). 6 a the transmission of power to machinery, the wheels of a motor vehicle, etc. (belt drive; front-wheel drive). b the position of a steering-wheel in a motor vehicle (left-hand drive). c Computing = disk drive (see DISC). 7 Brit. an organized competition, for many players, of whist, bingo, etc. 8 an act of driving game or an enemy. 9 Austral. & NZ a line of partly cut trees on a hillside felled when the top one topples on the others. drive at seek, intend, or mean (what is he driving at?). drive-in attrib.adj. (of a bank, cinema, etc.) able to be used while sitting in one's car.
n. such a bank, cinema, etc. drive-on (of a ship) on to which motor vehicles may be driven. drive out take the place of; oust; exorcize, cast out (evil spirits etc.). driving-licence a licence permitting a person to drive a motor vehicle. driving rain an excessive windblown downpour. driving-range Golf an area for practising drives. driving test an official test of a motorist's competence which must be passed to obtain a driving licence. driving-wheel 1 the large wheel of a locomotive. 2 a wheel communicating motive power in machinery. let drive aim a blow or missile. drivable adj.
[ OE drifan f. Gmc ]