Meaning & use
drive
Last updated
Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To control a vehicle and make it go, or to take someone somewhere in one.
Grammar: No object: I drive to work. With an object: she drove the truck.
Patterns
- drive somewhere
- drive something
- drive someone to something
She drives to the office every morning.
Can you drive me to the airport on Friday?
He learned to drive a tractor when he was twelve.
nouncountable
A trip made in a car or other vehicle.
Grammar: Often with a length of time: a two-hour drive.
Patterns
- go for a drive
- a drive to something
It was a pleasant drive through the mountains.
We went for a drive after lunch.
The beach is a short drive from our hotel.
noununcountableapproving
A strong inner energy and determination to work hard and reach goals.
Grammar: Often followed by to plus a verb: the drive to succeed.
Patterns
- drive to do something
- a lack of drive
Her drive to win made her train every day.
He has plenty of talent, but little drive.
The young founder had enormous drive.
verbtransitive
To push or force someone or something into a state or direction.
Grammar: Takes an object and often an adjective: the noise drove me crazy.
Patterns
- drive someone crazy
- drive someone to do something
The noise from the street drove her crazy.
Rising prices drove many families into debt.
Strong winds drove the boat onto the rocks.
nouncountable
An organized effort to achieve something, such as raising money.
Grammar: Usually followed by a purpose: a food drive.
Patterns
- a drive to do something
- a charity drive
The school ran a food drive before the holidays.
A membership drive added two hundred new members.
The company launched a drive to cut waste.
nouncountablecomputing
A device in a computer that reads and stores data.
Grammar: Usually combined with another word: hard drive, flash drive.
Patterns
- save to the drive
I saved the photos to an external drive.
The hard drive failed without warning.
Plug the flash drive into the port.
Word forms
| third person singular | drives |
|---|---|
| past tense | drove |
| past participle | driven |
| -ing form | driving |
| plural | drives |
Common combinations
- drive a car
- She drives a small red car.
- drive someone crazy
- The dripping tap drives me crazy.
- drive growth
- Lower prices could drive growth in sales.
- sheer drive
- Sheer drive carried her through the marathon.
- hard drive
- Back up your hard drive regularly.
- scenic drive
- We took a scenic drive along the coast.
Synonyms and how they differ
- motivation
- Motivation is the reason for wanting to act, whereas drive is the lasting energy that keeps a person going.
- ambition
- Ambition is the desire for success itself, while drive is the energy used to pursue it.
- determination
- Determination stresses refusing to give up, whereas drive also includes enthusiasm and push.
- steer
- Steer means to guide the direction of a vehicle, whereas drive covers controlling the whole vehicle.
Opposites
Word family
- driver noun
- a person who drives a vehicle
- driven adjective
- very motivated to succeed
- driveway noun
- a short private road to a house
- driving adjective
- strong or forceful, as in driving rain
- drive-through noun
- a place where customers are served in their cars
Commonly confused: drive or ride?
drive vs ride
Ride suggests being carried as a passenger or sitting on something, whereas drive means to control the vehicle yourself.
Practice
The young chef's ___ to become the best in the city kept her in the kitchen until midnight.
Choose one answer.
Drive means strong inner determination and fits the pattern drive to do something. Ride and trip refer to journeys, not motivation.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “drive”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.