DRIVES Synonyms: 344 Similar and Opposite Words

drives 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of drive

as in runs

to urge, push, or force onward cowboys drove the herd of cattle from San Antonio to San Francisco

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Relevance

as in motors

to travel by a motorized vehicle I'm going to drive across the country—want to come?

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as in pushes

to apply force to (someone or something) so that it moves in front of one drove the plunger into the opening

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as in compels

to cause (a person) to give in to pressure the corrupt governor was driven out of office

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in activates

to cause to function machinery driven by waterpower

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as in moves

to set or keep in motion this motor drives the gears, which then turn the shaft

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as in speeds

to proceed or move quickly the runner drove past the finish line and then came to a dead stop

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drives

2 of 2

noun

plural of drive

as in highways

a passage cleared for public vehicular travel raced our motorcycles along the drive

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as in campaigns

a series of activities undertaken to achieve a goal a fund-raising drive for the school's marching band

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of drives

Verb

This absence drives Shimoda to unearth historical records like FBI files; to visit Manzanar, the concentration camp his grandfather was sent to in Missouri; and to travel to his grandfather’s ancestral homeland in Japan. — Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026 Money drives them apart, but that’s what they’re expected to care about. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026 Teams understand what drives results and where to focus their energy. — Angela Palo, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026 The latest tie-up drew more directly on Nakamura’s personal interests than the first capsule did, Bateman added, as Nakamura owns and drives several vintage sports cars and has shown them at racing events around the world. — Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026 As revealed by Variety, the film follows a woman who drives from Dunhuang, in western China near Central Asia, all the way to the sea. — Jenny S. Li, Variety, 27 Sep. 2026 What is genuinely remarkable, though, is that this meteoric machine drives with the straightforwardness of a Toyota Camry. — Sean Evans, Robb Report, 26 Sep. 2026 For many in the industry, a tentpole feature is one that costs more than $100 million to produce, often exceeding $200 million or $250 million, and that drives significant traffic to movie theaters. — Sarah Whitten, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026 Filling a pothole matters to the person who drives over it every day, but repeatedly filling the same hole without addressing the underlying street condition is not an effective use of taxpayer dollars. — Vince Fattore, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026

Noun

That was clear as the Bulls bled from the point of attack, allowing blow-by drives and suffering on switches as a result. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026 The Seminoles finished 5-7 last season, in large part because of struggles on the road to finish drives with points. — Bob Ferrante, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026 Not only did the Eagles fail to score, Matthew Stafford then engineered two touchdown drives to stun Philly, 24-20. — Andy Scholes, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026 Mashuma is open annually for April-November dry seasons of games drives, bush walks, and sundowners all across the massive national park and to the nearby Zambezi river. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026 The deterrent was installed Thursday at Otto and Estate drives. — Nina Burns, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026 Fans don't watch football to see officials determine the outcome of drives. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026 The reason why is a mystery—scientists are still working to untangle whether a healthy gut drives longevity or is a by-product of it. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 5 Oct. 2026 So far, so good for the Heat’s free-flowing offense, which relied on off-ball movement to create lanes for the most drives and most isolations per 100 possessions in the NBA last season. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drives

Verb

If your supplement stack already runs the length of your bathroom counter, adding another capsule for hair growth deserves scrutiny.

— Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026
Stretching across the base of the windshield, the panoramic iDrive display projects information onto a black band that runs from one A-pillar to the other.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of runs

Verb

The figures are averages, and a small number of very big spenders pushes them up.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
If the midterms clear the deck of uncertainty and tech leadership pushes the index to fresh highs, these calls will provide leveraged participation in the ongoing rally.

— Michael Khouw, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of pushes

Verb

Here, Hendrikx plays anthropologist to a culture that compels each of us—whether a rider or not—to find our own vehicle for fulfillment, then take it to redline.

— Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 30 Sep. 2026
However, the necessity of operating without a financial safety net compels one to internalize these lessons.

— Shreyans Lodha, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of compels

Verb

The declaration activates the state's emergency management plan to prepare for hurricanes and other potential natural disasters, allowing actions including the deployment of personnel and equipment to respond.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
The geometry of the dome itself regulates ventilation and activates natural air circulation through the stack effect, complemented by floor-level air intake to prevent direct drafts and maintain a consistent microclimate.

— Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of activates

Verb

Riley was a direct inspiration on the record, and while the Bay Area composer did work with drones, his influence is more poignant here, in the way Schwendener breaks the melody down into pieces and moves them around.

— Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 4 Oct. 2026
Bits per second is commonly used in BCI research to quantify how quickly and accurately a user can select intended targets, rather than simply measuring how fast a cursor physically moves.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of moves

Verb

Industry partnership speeds development Castelion is developing Blackbeard through a partnership led by the Future Capability Development and Integration Aviation Rapid Capabilities Cell within the Portfolio Acquisition Executive Aviation.

— Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026
Directed by Mert Alas, the cinematic visual opens on a desert road flanked by mountains, a car speeds through, which is later revealed to be driven by Miley.

— Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of speeds

Noun

Parcels of agricultural land surrounded on a certain percentage of their borders by homes, businesses, highways or land zoned for future development can apply for the designation.

— Nico Rivero, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
It’s been used to raise funds for Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse, a Minnesota woman caught using a racist slur on camera and to support Canadian truckers who blocked highways in protest of Covid restrictions.

— David K. Li, NBC news, 28 Sep. 2026