[drive] vb drove ; driv.en ; driv.ing [ME, fr. OE drifan; akin to OHG triban to drive] vt (bef. 12c) 1 a: to frighten or prod (as game or cattle) into moving in a desired direction b: to go th rough (a district) driving game animals
2: to carry on or through energetically "~s a hard bargain" 3 a: to impart a forward motion to by physical force "waves drove the boat ashore" b: to repulse, remove, or cause to go by force, authority, or influence "~ the enemy back" c: to set or keep in motion or operation "~ machinery by electricity"
4. a: to direct the motions and course of (a draft animal) b: to operate the mechanism and controls and direct the course of (as a vehicle) c: to convey in a vehicle d: to float (logs) down a stream
5. a: to exert inescapable or coercive pressure on: force b: to compel to undergo or suffer a change (as in situation or emotional state) "drove him crazy" "drove her out of business" c: to urge relentlessly to continuous exertion "the sergeant drove his recruits" d: to press or force into an activity, course, or direction "the drug habit ~s addicts to steal" e: to project, inject, or impress incisively "drove her point home"
6: to force (a passage) by pressing or digging
7. a: to propel (an object of play) swiftly b: to hit (a golf ball) from the tee esp. with a driver; also: to drive a golf ball onto (a green) c: to cause (a run or runner) to be scored in baseball--usu. used with in 8: to give shape or impulse to "factors that ~ the business cycle" ~ vi 1 a: to dash, plunge, or surge ahead rapidly or violently b: to progress with strong momentum "the rain was driving hard"
2. a: to operate a vehicle b: to have oneself carried in a vehicle
3: to drive a golf ball syn see move -- driv.abil.i.ty also drive.abil.i.ty n -- driv.able also drive.able adj -- drive at : to intend to express, convey, or accomplish "did not understand what she was driving at --Eric Goldman"
[2]drive n, often attrib (1785) 1: an act of driving: a: a trip in a carriage or automobile 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
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 ~" b: a sustained offensive effort "the ~ 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 ~" c: the means by which the propulsion of an automotive vehicle is controlled and directed "a left-hand ~"
6: an offensive, aggressive, or expansionist move; esp: a strong military attack against enemy-held terrain
7. a: an urgent, basic, or instinctual need: a motivating physiological condition of an organism "a sexual ~" b: an impelling culturally acquired concern, interest, or longing c: dynamic quality 8: a device for reading and writing on magnetic media (as magnetic tape or disks)