Meaning & use
off drive
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablesport
In cricket, a forward shot played with a straight bat that sends the ball along the ground to the off side.
Grammar: Countable: an off drive, two off drives.
Patterns
- play an off drive
He leaned into a lovely off drive and the ball raced to the boundary.
The coach showed the juniors how to play an off drive with a high elbow.
A crisp off drive off the first ball set the tone for the innings.
Word forms
| plural | off drives |
|---|
Common combinations
- play an off drive
- She likes to play an off drive when the ball is full and straight.
- cover drive
- The cover drive is a close cousin of the off drive.
- elegant off drive
- The captain hit an elegant off drive for four.
- off drive for four
- A glorious off drive for four brought up his fifty.
- straight off drive
- He played a straight off drive past the bowler's stumps.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cover drive
- A cover drive goes a little squarer, while an off drive goes more straight down the ground.
- on drive
- An on drive is the opposite shot to the leg side, so it is a different stroke, not a synonym.
- straight drive
- A straight drive goes directly back past the bowler, not toward the off side.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: off drive or on drive?
off drive vs on drive
An on drive is hit to the leg side, the opposite side to an off drive.
Practice
An off drive in cricket is played to which part of the field?
Choose one answer.
The off drive goes to the off side, away from the batter's legs. An on drive goes to the leg side.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “off drive”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.