/ draɪv; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
( drove / drəʊv; NAmE droʊv/, driven / ˈdrɪvn; NAmE /)
VEHICLE
1.
to operate a vehicle so that it goes in a particular direction :
[ v ]
Can you drive?
Don't drive so fast!
I drove to work this morning.
Shall we drive (= go there by car) or go by train?
[ vn ]
He drives a taxi (= that is his job) .
2.
[ vn , usually + adv. / prep. ] to take sb somewhere in a car, taxi, etc. :
Could you drive me home?
➡ note at take
3.
[ vn ] to own or use a particular type of vehicle :
What car do you drive?
MACHINE
4.
[ vn ] [ usually passive ] to provide the power that makes a machine work :
a steam-driven locomotive
MAKE SB DO STH
5.
[ vn ] to force sb to act in a particular way :
The urge to survive drove them on.
You're driving yourself too hard.
6.
to make sb very angry, crazy, etc. or to make them do sth extreme :
[ vn - adj ]
to drive sb crazy / mad / insane
[ vn to inf ]
Hunger drove her to steal.
[ vn ]
Those kids are driving me to despair.
( humorous )
It's enough to drive you to drink (= to make you start drinking too much alcohol) .
MAKE SB / STH MOVE
7.
[ vn + adv. / prep. ] to force sb/sth to move in a particular direction :
to drive sheep into a field
The enemy was driven back.
CAUSE STH TO MAKE PROGRESS
8.
[ vn ] to influence sth or cause it to make progress :
This is the main factor driving investment in the area.
HIT / PUSH
9.
[ vn + adv. / prep. ] to force sth to go in a particular direction or into a particular position by pushing it, hitting it, etc. :
to drive a nail into a piece of wood
MAKE A HOLE
10.
[ vn + adv. / prep. ] to make an opening in or through sth by using force :
They drove a tunnel through the solid rock.
IN SPORT
11.
to hit a ball with force, sending it forward :
[ vn ]
to drive the ball into the rough (= in golf )
[also v ]
WIND / WATER
12.
[ vn , usually + adv. / prep. ] to carry sth along :
Huge waves drove the yacht onto the rocks.
13.
[ v , usually + adv. / prep. ] to fall or move rapidly and with great force :
The waves drove against the shore.
•
IDIOMS
- drive a coach and horses through sth
- drive sth home (to sb)
- what sb is driving at
—more at ground noun , hard adjective , snow noun
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- drive away | drive sb/sth away
- drive sb away
- drive off
- drive sb/sth off
- drive on
- drive sb/sth out (of sth)
- drive sth up / down
■ noun
IN / OF VEHICLE
1.
[ C ] a journey in a car or other vehicle :
Let's go for a drive .
It's a three-hour drive to London.
2.
[ C , U ] the equipment in a vehicle that takes power from the engine to the wheels :
the drive shaft
a car with four-wheel drive
a left- / right-hand drive car (= a car where the driver and the controls are on the left / right)
OUTSIDE HOUSE
3.
(also drive·way ) [ C ] a wide hard path or a private road that leads from the street to a house :
There were two cars parked in / on the drive.
—picture at detached
EFFORT
4.
[ C ] drive (for sth) | drive (to do sth) an organized effort by a group of people to achieve sth :
a recruitment / export / economy drive
a drive for greater efficiency
the government's drive to reduce energy consumption
➡ note at drive
DESIRE / ENERGY
5.
[ C , U ] a strong desire or need in people :
a strong sexual drive
6.
[ U ] ( approving ) a strong desire to do things and achieve sth; great energy :
He'll do very well—he has tremendous drive.
IN SPORT
7.
[ C ] a long hard hit or kick :
She has a strong forehand drive (= in tennis ) .
He scored with a brilliant 25-yard drive.
COMPUTING
8.
[ C ] the part of a computer that reads and stores information on disks or tapes :
a 40GB hard drive
a CD drive
—see also disk drive
GAMES
9.
[ C ] ( BrE ) a social occasion when a lot of people compete in a game such as whist or bingo
ANIMALS / ENEMY
10.
[ C ] an act of chasing animals or the enemy and making them go into a smaller area, especially in order to kill or capture them
ROAD
11.
Drive ( abbr. Dr ) used in the names of roads :
21 Island Heights Drive
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English drīfan urge (a person or animal) to go forward , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch drijven and German treiben .