drive
♦♦♦ drive /dr'aɪv/ (drives driving drove driven)
1 [VERB] V prep/adv, V, V n
When you drive somewhere, you operate a car or other vehicle and control its movement and direction.
I drove into town and went to a restaurant for dinner...
She never learned to drive...
Mrs Glick drove her own car and the girls went in Nancy's convertible.
● driving [N-UNCOUNT]
...a qualified driving instructor...
2 [VERB] V n prep/adv
If you drive someone somewhere, you take them there in a car or other vehicle.
His daughter Carly drove him to the train station.
3 [N-COUNT]
A drive is a journey in a car or other vehicle.
I thought we might go for a drive on Sunday.
4 [N-COUNT]
A drive is a wide piece of hard ground, or sometimes a private road, that leads from the road to a person's house.
= driveway
5 [VERB] V n
If something drives a machine, it supplies the power that makes it work.
The current flows into electric motors that drive the wheels.
6 [N-COUNT] usu supp N
You use drive to refer to the mechanical part of a computer which reads the data on disks and tapes, or writes data onto them.
...equipment such as terminals, tape drives or printers.
see also disk drive
7 [VERB] V n prep, V n with adv
If you drive something such as a nail into something else, you push it in or hammer it in using a lot of effort.
I used a sledgehammer to drive the pegs into the ground...
I held it still and drove in a nail.
8 [VERB] V n prep/adv, also V n
In games such as cricket, golf, or football, if a player drives a ball somewhere, they kick or hit it there with a lot of force.
Armstrong drove the ball into the roof of the net.
9 [VERB] V prep/adv
If the wind, rain, or snow drives in a particular direction, it moves with great force in that direction.
Rain drove against the window.
● driving [ADJ] ADJ n
He crashed into a tree in driving rain.
10 [VERB] V n prep, V n with adv
If you drive people or animals somewhere, you make them go to or from that place.
The last offensive drove thousands of people into Thailand...
The smoke also drove mosquitoes away.
11 [VERB] V n into/to n, V n adj
To drive someone into a particular state or situation means to force them into that state or situation.
The recession and hospital bills drove them into bankruptcy...
He nearly drove Elsie mad with his fussing.
12 [VERB] V n to-inf, V n to n, be V-ed, V-ed
The desire or feeling that drives a person to do something, especially something extreme, is the desire or feeling that causes them to do it.
More than once, depression drove him to attempt suicide...
Jealousy drives people to murder...
...people who are driven by guilt, resentment and anxiety.
...a man driven by a pathological need to win.
13 [N-UNCOUNT]
If you say that someone has drive, you mean they have energy and determination.
John will be best remembered for his drive and enthusiasm.
14 [N-COUNT]
A drive is a very strong need or desire in human beings that makes them act in particular ways.
...compelling, dynamic sex drives.
15 [N-SING] with supp
A drive is a special effort made by a group of people for a particular purpose.
The ANC is about to launch a nationwide recruitment drive...
= campaign
16 [N-IN-NAMES]
Drive is used in the names of some streets.
...23 Queen's Drive, Malvern, Worcestershire.
17
see also driving
18 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you ask someone what they are driving at, you are asking what they are trying to say or what they are saying indirectly.
It was clear Cohen didn't understand what Millard was driving at.
19
to drive a hard bargain: see bargainCD-ROM drive /s'iː diː r'ɒm draɪv/ (CD-ROM drives)
[N-COUNT]
A CD-ROM drive is the device that you use with a computer to play CD-ROMs. (COMPUTING)disk drive (disk drives)
in BRIT, also use disc drive
[N-COUNT]
The disk drive on a computer is the part that contains the disk or into which a disk can be inserted. The disk drive allows you to read information from the disk and store information on the disk.drive away
[PHRASAL VERB] V n P, V P n (not pron)
To drive people away means to make them want to go away or stay away.
Patrick's boorish rudeness soon drove Monica's friends away...
Increased crime is driving away customers.drive off
[PHRASAL VERB] V n P, V P n (not pron)
If you drive someone or something off, you force them to go away and to stop attacking you or threatening you.
The government drove the guerrillas off with infantry and air strikes...
Men drove off the dogs with stones.drive out
[PHRASAL VERB] V P n (not pron)
To drive out something means to make it disappear or stop operating.
He cut his rates to drive out rivals.drive shaft (drive shafts)
[N-COUNT]
A drive shaft is a shaft in a car or other vehicle that transfers power from the gear box to the wheels.four-wheel drive (four-wheel drives)
[N-COUNT]
A four-wheel drive is a vehicle in which all four wheels receive power from the engine to help with steering. This makes the vehicle easier to drive on rough roads or surfaces such as sand or snow.left-hand drive
[ADJ] usu ADJ n
A left-hand drive vehicle has the steering wheel on the left side, and is designed to be used in countries where people drive on the right-hand side of the road.right-hand drive
[ADJ] usu ADJ n
A right-hand drive vehicle has its steering wheel on the right side. It is designed to be driven in countries such as Britain, Japan, and Australia where people drive on the left side of the road.
≠ left-hand drivezip drive (zip drives)
[N-COUNT]
A zip drive is a piece of computer equipment that you use for storing large amounts of data. (COMPUTING)
Zip drives help people to organise their important information.
1 [VERB] V prep/adv, V, V n
When you drive somewhere, you operate a car or other vehicle and control its movement and direction.
I drove into town and went to a restaurant for dinner...
She never learned to drive...
Mrs Glick drove her own car and the girls went in Nancy's convertible.
● driving [N-UNCOUNT]
...a qualified driving instructor...
2 [VERB] V n prep/adv
If you drive someone somewhere, you take them there in a car or other vehicle.
His daughter Carly drove him to the train station.
3 [N-COUNT]
A drive is a journey in a car or other vehicle.
I thought we might go for a drive on Sunday.
4 [N-COUNT]
A drive is a wide piece of hard ground, or sometimes a private road, that leads from the road to a person's house.
= driveway
5 [VERB] V n
If something drives a machine, it supplies the power that makes it work.
The current flows into electric motors that drive the wheels.
6 [N-COUNT] usu supp N
You use drive to refer to the mechanical part of a computer which reads the data on disks and tapes, or writes data onto them.
...equipment such as terminals, tape drives or printers.
see also disk drive
7 [VERB] V n prep, V n with adv
If you drive something such as a nail into something else, you push it in or hammer it in using a lot of effort.
I used a sledgehammer to drive the pegs into the ground...
I held it still and drove in a nail.
8 [VERB] V n prep/adv, also V n
In games such as cricket, golf, or football, if a player drives a ball somewhere, they kick or hit it there with a lot of force.
Armstrong drove the ball into the roof of the net.
9 [VERB] V prep/adv
If the wind, rain, or snow drives in a particular direction, it moves with great force in that direction.
Rain drove against the window.
● driving [ADJ] ADJ n
He crashed into a tree in driving rain.
10 [VERB] V n prep, V n with adv
If you drive people or animals somewhere, you make them go to or from that place.
The last offensive drove thousands of people into Thailand...
The smoke also drove mosquitoes away.
11 [VERB] V n into/to n, V n adj
To drive someone into a particular state or situation means to force them into that state or situation.
The recession and hospital bills drove them into bankruptcy...
He nearly drove Elsie mad with his fussing.
12 [VERB] V n to-inf, V n to n, be V-ed, V-ed
The desire or feeling that drives a person to do something, especially something extreme, is the desire or feeling that causes them to do it.
More than once, depression drove him to attempt suicide...
Jealousy drives people to murder...
...people who are driven by guilt, resentment and anxiety.
...a man driven by a pathological need to win.
13 [N-UNCOUNT]
If you say that someone has drive, you mean they have energy and determination.
John will be best remembered for his drive and enthusiasm.
14 [N-COUNT]
A drive is a very strong need or desire in human beings that makes them act in particular ways.
...compelling, dynamic sex drives.
15 [N-SING] with supp
A drive is a special effort made by a group of people for a particular purpose.
The ANC is about to launch a nationwide recruitment drive...
= campaign
16 [N-IN-NAMES]
Drive is used in the names of some streets.
...23 Queen's Drive, Malvern, Worcestershire.
17
see also driving
18 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you ask someone what they are driving at, you are asking what they are trying to say or what they are saying indirectly.
It was clear Cohen didn't understand what Millard was driving at.
19
to drive a hard bargain: see bargainCD-ROM drive /s'iː diː r'ɒm draɪv/ (CD-ROM drives)
[N-COUNT]
A CD-ROM drive is the device that you use with a computer to play CD-ROMs. (COMPUTING)disk drive (disk drives)
in BRIT, also use disc drive
[N-COUNT]
The disk drive on a computer is the part that contains the disk or into which a disk can be inserted. The disk drive allows you to read information from the disk and store information on the disk.drive away
[PHRASAL VERB] V n P, V P n (not pron)
To drive people away means to make them want to go away or stay away.
Patrick's boorish rudeness soon drove Monica's friends away...
Increased crime is driving away customers.drive off
[PHRASAL VERB] V n P, V P n (not pron)
If you drive someone or something off, you force them to go away and to stop attacking you or threatening you.
The government drove the guerrillas off with infantry and air strikes...
Men drove off the dogs with stones.drive out
[PHRASAL VERB] V P n (not pron)
To drive out something means to make it disappear or stop operating.
He cut his rates to drive out rivals.drive shaft (drive shafts)
[N-COUNT]
A drive shaft is a shaft in a car or other vehicle that transfers power from the gear box to the wheels.four-wheel drive (four-wheel drives)
[N-COUNT]
A four-wheel drive is a vehicle in which all four wheels receive power from the engine to help with steering. This makes the vehicle easier to drive on rough roads or surfaces such as sand or snow.left-hand drive
[ADJ] usu ADJ n
A left-hand drive vehicle has the steering wheel on the left side, and is designed to be used in countries where people drive on the right-hand side of the road.right-hand drive
[ADJ] usu ADJ n
A right-hand drive vehicle has its steering wheel on the right side. It is designed to be driven in countries such as Britain, Japan, and Australia where people drive on the left side of the road.
≠ left-hand drivezip drive (zip drives)
[N-COUNT]
A zip drive is a piece of computer equipment that you use for storing large amounts of data. (COMPUTING)
Zip drives help people to organise their important information.