n.
Function: noun
Usage: often attrib
Date: 1785
1 : an act of driving: a : a trip in a carriage or automobile <a short drive to the coast> b : a collection and driving together of animals also : the animals gathered c : a driving of cattle or sheep overland d : a hunt or shoot in which the game is driven within the hunter's range e : the guiding of logs downstream to a mill also : the floating logs amassed in a drive f (1) : the act or an instance of driving an object of play (as a golf ball) (2) : the flight of a ball <a high drive to left field>
2 a : a private road : DRIVEWAY b : a public road for driving (as in a park)
3 : the state of being hurried and under pressure
4 a : a strong systematic group effort <a fund-raising drive > b : a sustained offensive effort <the drive ended in a touchdown>
5 a : the means for giving motion to a machine or machine part b : the means by which the propulsive power of an automobile is applied to the road <front wheel drive > c : the means by which the propulsion of an automotive vehicle is controlled and directed <a left-hand drive >
6 a : an offensive, aggressive, or expansionist move especially : a strong military attack against enemy-held terrain b : a quick and aggressive move toward the basket in basketball
7 a : an urgent, basic, or instinctual need : a motivating physiological condition of an organism <a sexual drive > b : an impelling culturally acquired concern, interest, or longing <the drive to succeed> c : dynamic quality
8 : a device for reading or writing on magnetic or optical media (as tapes or disks)