Driving and operating road vehicles

I. drive¹ S1 W1 /draɪv/ BrE AmE verb (past tense drove /drəʊv $ droʊv/, past participle driven /ˈdrɪvən/)
[Word Family: noun: ↑drive, ↑driver, ↑driving; verb: ↑drive; adjective: ↑driving]
[Language: Old English; Origin: drifan]
1. VEHICLE
a) [intransitive and transitive] to make a car, truck, bus etc move along
drive to/down/off etc
I am planning to drive to Morocco next year.
the man driving the car
Can you drive?
So when did you learn to drive?
Bye! Drive carefully!
He drives 12 miles to work.
He drives (=has) a BMW estate.
b) [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] if a car, truck etc drives somewhere, it moves there:
After the accident, the other car just drove off.
c) [intransitive] if people drive somewhere, they travel somewhere in a car:
Shall we drive or take the bus?
drive to/down/off etc
They drove back to Woodside.
d) [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to take someone somewhere in a car, truck etc:
She drove Anna to London.
I’ll drive you home.
drive yourself
I drove myself to hospital.
2. MAKE SOMEBODY MOVE [transitive] to force a person or animal to go somewhere:
Torrential rain drove the players off the course.
With a few loud whistles, they drove the donkeys out of the enclosure.
3. MAKE SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING [transitive] to strongly influence someone to do something
drive somebody to do something
The detective wondered what had driven Christine to phone her.
drive somebody to/into something
The noises in my head have nearly driven me to suicide.
Phil, driven by jealousy, started spying on his wife.
4. MAKE SOMEBODY/SOMETHING BE IN A BAD STATE [transitive] to make someone or something get into a bad or extreme state, usually an emotional one
drive somebody crazy/nuts/mad/insane (=make someone feel very annoyed)
This cough is driving me mad!
drive somebody crazy/wild (=make someone feel very sexually excited)
drive somebody up the wall/out of their mind (=make someone feel very annoyed)
drive somebody to distraction/desperation
The mosquitoes drive me to distraction.
drive somebody/something into something
The factory had been driven into bankruptcy.
5. HIT/PUSH SOMETHING INTO SOMETHING [transitive] to hit or push something into something else
drive something into something
We watched Dad drive the posts into the ground.
She drove her heels into the sand.
6. MAKE SOMEBODY WORK [transitive] to make a person or animal work hard
drive yourself
Don’t drive yourself too hard.
7. SPORTS [intransitive and transitive]
a) to move a ball etc forward in a game of baseball, football, golf etc by hitting or kicking it hard and fast:
He drove the ball into the corner of the net.
b) to run with the ball towards the ↑goal in sports such as ↑basketball and American football
8. PROVIDE POWER [transitive] to provide the power for a vehicle or machine
petrol-driven/electrically-driven/battery-driven etc
a petrol-driven lawn mower
9. RAIN/WIND ETC [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] if rain, snow, wind etc drives somewhere, it moves very quickly in that direction:
The rain was driving down hard.
10. drive a coach and horses through something to destroy an argument, plan etc completely:
The new bill will drive a coach and horses through recent trade agreements.
11. MAKE A HOLE [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to make a large hole in something using heavy equipment or machinery:
They drove a tunnel through the mountains.
12. drive something home to make something completely clear to someone:
He didn’t have to drive the point home. The videotape had done that.
13. drive a wedge between somebody to do something that makes people disagree or start to dislike each other:
I don’t want to drive a wedge between you and your father.
⇨ drive/strike a hard bargain at ↑hard¹(18)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 4)
■ phrases
▪ drive somebody crazy/mad/insane spoken (also drive somebody nuts spoken informal) (=make someone feel very annoyed) The continuous noise was driving me crazy.
▪ drive somebody crazy/wild (=make someone feel very sexually excited) He drives women wild.
▪ drive somebody up the wall/round the bend/out of their mind spoken informal (=make someone feel very annoyed) That voice of hers drives me up the wall.
▪ drive somebody to distraction (=make someone feel very upset or annoyed) She was being driven to distraction by her husband’s bad habits.
▪ drive somebody to despair/desperation (=make someone despair) Escalating personal debts have driven many people to despair.
▪ drive somebody to drink (=make someone so annoyed or upset that they depend on alcohol) His problems had almost driven him to drink.
drive at something phrasal verb
what somebody is driving at the thing someone is really trying to say SYN get at:
I still couldn’t understand what Toby was driving at.
drive somebody ↔ away phrasal verb
to behave in a way that makes someone leave:
He was cruel because he wanted to drive me away.
drive something ↔ down phrasal verb
to make prices, costs etc fall quickly:
We have to drive down costs.
drive somebody/something ↔ in phrasal verb
to hit the ball so that another player can score a ↑run in baseball
drive off phrasal verb
1. to hit the ball to begin a game of golf
2. drive somebody ↔ off to force a person or animal to go away from you:
We keep dogs in the yard to drive off intruders.
drive somebody/something ↔ out phrasal verb
1. to force someone or something to leave:
Downtown stores are being driven out by crime.
2. written to make something stop existing:
As we went forward, our fear was driven out by horror.
drive something ↔ up phrasal verb
to make prices, costs etc rise quickly:
The oil shortage drove gas prices up by 20 cents a gallon.
II. drive² S2 W2 BrE AmE noun
[Word Family: noun: ↑drive, ↑driver, ↑driving; verb: ↑drive; adjective: ↑driving]
1. IN A CAR [countable] a journey in a car
drive to/along etc
Let’s go for a drive along the coast.
Taylor took me for a drive through the town.
an hour’s/a two hour etc drive
It’s a two hour drive from Calais to Thiepval.
2. NATURAL NEED [countable] a strong natural need or desire:
The treatment will not affect your sex drive.
3. OUTSIDE YOUR HOUSE [countable] the hard area or road between your house and the street SYN driveway
in/on the drive
He parked his car in the drive.
4. EFFORT [countable] an effort to achieve something, especially an effort by an organization for a particular purpose:
a recruitment drive for new members
an economy drive (=effort to reduce spending)
drive to do something
a nationwide drive to crack down on crime
5. DETERMINATION [uncountable] determination and energy to succeed:
Brian has got tremendous drive.
6. POWER [uncountable] the power from an engine that makes the wheels of a vehicle go round
front-wheel/rear-wheel/four-wheel drive
7. COMPUTER [countable] a piece of equipment in a computer that is used to get information from a ↑disk or to store information on it
hard/floppy/A etc drive ⇨ ↑disk drive
8. SPORT [countable] an act of hitting a ball hard, especially in tennis, baseball, or golf:
He hit a long, high drive to right field.
9. MILITARY ATTACK [countable] several military attacks
drive into
a drive deep into enemy territory
10. ANIMALS [countable] when animals such as cows or sheep are brought together and made to move in a particular direction
11. Drive used in the names of roads:
141 Park Drive

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

drive

drive [drive drives drove driving driven] verb, noun [draɪv] [draɪv]

verb (drove [drəʊv] ; [droʊv] , driven [ˈdrɪvn] ; [ˈdrɪvn] )

VEHICLE
1. intransitive, transitive to operate a vehicle so that it goes in a particular direction
• 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?

• ~ sth He drives a taxi (= that is his job).

2. transitive ~ sb (+ adv./prep.) to take sb somewhere in a car, taxi, etc

• Could you drive me home?

3. transitive ~ sth to own or use a particular type of vehicle

• What car do you drive?

MACHINE

4. transitive, usually passive ~ sth to provide the power that makes a machine work

• a steam-driven locomotive

MAKE SB DO STH

5. transitive ~ sb (+ adv./prep.) to force sb to act in a particular way
• The urge to survive drove them on.

• You're driving yourself too hard.

6. transitive to make sb very angry, crazy, etc. or to make them do sth extreme
• ~ sb + adj. to drive sb crazy/mad/insane
• ~ sb to do sth Hunger drove her to steal.
• ~ sb to sth 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. transitive ~ sb/sth + 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. transitive ~ sth to influence sth or cause it to make progress

• This is the main factor driving investment in the area.

HIT/PUSH

9. transitive ~ sth + 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. transitive ~ sth + adv./prep. to make an opening in or through sth by using force

• They drove a tunnel through the solid rock.

IN SPORT

11. transitive, intransitive ~ (sth) (+ adv./prep.) to hit a ball with force, sending it forward

• to drive the ball into the rough (= in golf )

WIND/WATER

12. transitive ~ sth (+ adv./prep.) to carry sth along

• Huge waves drove the yacht onto the rocks.

13. intransitive (+ adv./prep.) to fall or move rapidly and with great force
• The waves drove against the shore.

more at run/drive/work yourself into the ground at ground _n., drive/strike a hard bargain at hard _adj., needs must (when the devil drives) at need _n., as clean, pure, etc. as the driven snow at snow

Word Origin:
Old English drīfan ‘urge (a person or animal) to go forward’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch drijven and German treiben.
Thesaurus:
drive verb
1. I, T
• I learned to drive at 17.
steer • • handle • |BrE manoeuvre • |AmE maneuver •
drive/steer/handle/manoeuvre a car
2. I, T
• We've driven over 200 miles today.
travel • • go • • come • • do •
drive/travel/go/come from/to sth
drive/travel/go/come/do 50 miles/10 kilometres, etc.
drive/travel/come a long distance
3. T (sometimes disapproving)
• You're driving yourself too hard.
work • |disapproving overwork • |usually approving push •
drive/work/push sb hard
drive/push sb too far/to the limit
drive/work sb into the ground
Collocations:
Driving
Having a car
have/own/ (BrE) run a car
ride a motorcycle/motorbike
drive/prefer/use an automatic/a manual/(NAmE, informal) a stick shift
have/get your car serviced/fixed/repaired
buy/sell a used car/(especially BrE) a second-hand car
take/pass/fail a (BrE) driving test/(both NAmE) driver's test/road test
get/obtain/have/lose/carry a/your (BrE) driving licence/(NAmE) driver's license
Driving
put on/fasten/ (NAmE) buckle/wear/undo your seat belt/safety belt
put/turn/leave the key in the ignition
start the car/engine
(BrE) change/ (NAmE) shift/put sth into gear
press/put your foot on the brake pedal/clutch/accelerator
release the clutch/(especially BrE) the handbrake/(both NAmE) the emergency brake/the parking brake
drive/park/reverse the car
(BrE) indicate left/right
(especially NAmE) signal that you are turning left/right
take/miss (BrE) the turning/(especially NAmE) the turn
apply/hit/slam on the brake(s)
beep/honk/ (especially BrE) toot/ (BrE) sound your horn
Problems and accidents
a car skids/crashes (into sth)/collides (with sth)
swerve to avoid an oncoming car/a pedestrian
crash/lose control of the car
have/be in/be killed in/survive a car crash/a car accident/(NAmE) a car wreck/a hit-and-run
be run over/knocked down by a car/bus/truck
dent/hit (BrE) the bonnet/(NAmE) the hood
break/crack/shatter (BrE) the windscreen/(NAmE) the windshield
blow/ (especially BrE) burst/puncture (BrE) a tyre/(NAmE) a tire
get/have (BrE) a flat tyre/a flat tire/a puncture
inflate/change/fit/replace/check a tyre/tire
Traffic and driving regulations
be caught in/get stuck in/sit in a traffic jam
cause congestion/tailbacks/traffic jams/gridlock
experience/face lengthy delays
beat/avoid the traffic/the rush hour
break/observe/ (NAmE) drive the speed limit
be caught on (BrE) a speed camera
stop sb for/pull sb over for/ (BrE, informal) be done for speeding
(both informal) run/ (BrE) jump a red light/the lights
be arrested for/charged with (BrE) drink-driving/(both US) driving under the influence (DUI)/driving while intoxicated (DWI)
be banned/ (BrE) disqualified from driving
Synonyms:
take
lead • escort • drive • show • walk • guide • usher • direct
These words all mean to go with sb from one place to another.
take • to go with sb from one place to another, for example in order to show them sth or to show them the way to a place: ▪ It's too far to walk— I'll take you by car.
lead • to go with or go in front of sb in order to show them the way or to make them go in the right direction: ▪ Firefighters led the survivors to safety.
escort • to go with sb in order to protect or guard them or to show them the way: ▪ The president arrived, escorted by twelve bodyguards.
drive • to take sb somewhere in a car, taxi, etc: ▪ My mother drove us to the airport.
show • to take sb to a particular place, in the right direction, or along the correct route: ▪ The attendant showed us to our seats.
walk • to go somewhere with sb on foot, especially in order to make sure that they get there safely; to take an animal, especially a dog, for a walk or make an animal walk somewhere: ▪ He always walked her home. ◊ ▪ Have you walked the dog yet today?
guide • to show sb the way to a place, often by going with them; to show sb a place that you know well: ▪ She guided us through the busy streets. ◊ ▪ We were guided around the museums.
usher • (rather formal) to politely take or show sb where they should go, especially within a building: ▪ She ushered her guests to their seats.
direct • (rather formal) to tell or show sb how to get somewhere or where to go: ▪ A young woman directed them to the station.
to take/lead/escort/drive/show/walk/guide/usher/direct sb to/out of/into sth
to take/lead/escort/drive/show/walk/guide sb around/round
to take/lead/escort/drive/walk sb home
to take/lead/escort/guide sb to safety
to lead/show the way
Example Bank:
• He was arrested for driving recklessly.
• I'll drive you home.
• She drove quickly back to the office.
• She got into the car and drove away.
• We drove from Quebec to Ottawa.
• You shouldn't drive so fast!
• driving from London to Manchester
• Driving lessons can be expensive.
• Have you ever driven a racing car?
• He drives a taxi.
• He took a wooden peg and drove it into the ground.
• Hunger drove them to steal.
• I asked the man to drive me home.
• I learned to drive when I was 25.
• It's enough to drive you to drink.
• It's the story of a teenager driven to despair by the hypocrisy of the adult world.
• My mother drove us to the airport.
• Shall we drive or go by train?
• Someone had driven a nail deep into the wood.
• The knife had been driven through his heart.
• They run a driving school in Birmingham.
• They were driven to an unknown place in the hills.
• They're intending to drive from Seattle down to San Diego.
• We drove the rest of the way in silence.
• We must have driven over 600 kilometres today.
• What type of car do you drive?
• You need a special licence to drive a heavy goods vehicle.
• You're driving yourself too hard.
Idioms: drive a coach and horses through something ▪ drive something home ▪ what somebody is driving at
Derived: drive away ▪ drive off ▪ drive on ▪ drive somebody away ▪ drive somebody off ▪ drive somebody out ▪ drive something up

noun

IN/OF VEHICLE
1. countable a journey in a car or other vehicle
• Let's go for a drive.
• a drive through the mountains

• It's a three-hour drive to London.

2. countable, uncountable 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) countable 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.

EFFORT

4. countable an organized effort by a group of people to achieve sth
• a recruitment/export/economy drive
• ~ for sth a drive for greater efficiency

• ~ to do sth the government's drive to reduce energy consumption

DESIRE/ENERGY

5. countable, uncountable a strong desire or need in people

• a strong sexual drive

6. uncountable (approving) a strong desire to do things and achieve sth; great energy

• He'll do very well— he has tremendous drive.

IN SPORT
7. countable a long hard hit or kick
• She has a strong forehand drive (= in tennis ).

• He scored with a brilliant 25-yard drive.

COMPUTING

8. countable the part of a computer that reads and stores information on disks or tapes
• a 750GB hard drive
• a CD drive

see also disk drive

GAMES

9. countable (BrE) a social occasion when a lot of people compete in a game such as whist or bingo
ANIMALS/ENEMY

10. countable 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.
Thesaurus:
drive noun C
• We went out for a drive.
ride • |BrE lift •
a drive/ride/lift from/to sth
a drive/ride/lift back/home
take/go on/go for a drive/ride
give sb/hitch a ride/lift
Synonyms:
campaign
battle • struggle • drive • war • fight
These are all words for an effort made to achieve or prevent sth.
campaign • a series of planned activities that are intended to achieve a particular social, commercial or political aim: ▪ the campaign for parliamentary reform ◊ ▪ an advertising campaign
battle • a competition or argument between people or groups of people trying to win power or control: ▪ She finally won the legal battle for compensation. ◊ ▪ the endless battle between man and nature
struggle • a competition or argument between people or groups of people trying to win power or control: ▪ the struggle for independence ◊ ▪ the struggle between good and evil
battle or struggle?
A struggle is always about things that seem absolutely necessary, such as life and death or freedom. A battle can also be about things that are not absolutely necessary, just desirable, or about the pleasure of winning: ▪ the battle/struggle between good and evil ◊ a legal struggle for compensation ◊ a struggle of wills/wits.
drive • an organized effort by a group of people to achieve sth: ▪ the drive for greater efficiency ◊ ▪ a drive to reduce energy consumption
campaign or drive?
A campaign is usually aimed at getting other people to do sth; a drive may be an attempt by people to get themselves to do sth: ▪ From today, we're going on an ▪ economy drive ▪ ▪ (= we must spend less) ▪. A campaign may be larger, more formal and more organized than a drive.
war • [sing.] an effort over a long period of time to get rid of or stop sth bad: ▪ the war against crime
fight • [sing.] the work of trying to stop or prevent sth bad or achieve sth good; an act of competing, especially in a sport: ▪ Workers won their fight to stop compulsory redundancies.
war or fight?
A war is about stopping things, like drugs and crime, that everyone agrees are bad. A fight can be about achieving justice for yourself.
a campaign/battle/struggle/drive/war/fight against sth
a campaign/battle/struggle/drive/fight for sth
a one-man/one-woman/personal campaign/battle/struggle/war
a bitter campaign/battle/struggle/drive/war/fight
to launch/embark on a campaign/battle/drive
to lead/continue the campaign/battle/struggle/drive/fight
to win/lose a battle/struggle/war/fight
Example Bank:
• A lack of narrative drive leaves the reader with piecemeal vignettes.
• A number of police cars blocked the drive.
• All my family live within an hour's drive.
• Cole scored with a thunderous left-foot drive.
• He hit a line drive straight at me.
• He lacks the competitive drive needed to succeed.
• He pulled into a long drive leading up to a large villa.
• He walked up the front drive of the vicarage.
• It's a pleasant drive to the coast.
• It's one of the most scenic drives in Europe.
• Left-hand drive cars make driving in Britain difficult.
• Let's go for a drive.
• The Popular Front spearheaded the drive for independence.
• The lakes are only a short drive away.
• The spots will run during drive time radio.
• There was a car parked on the drive.
• We organized a food drive for the city's homeless shelters.
• We're going to launch a big recruitment drive in the autumn.
• You need to inject more narrative drive into the story.
• a drive against corruption
• a drive towards higher safety standards
• a forehand drive down the line
• a housing development within a 30-minute drive time from the airport
• the country's drive for modernization
• the recent recruitment drive by the police
• From today, we're going on an economy drive.
• He offered to take me for a drive later in the day.
• He played a crucial role in the drive for greater efficiency.
• He was tired after the long drive home.
• He'll do very well— he has tremendous drive.
• I took the car for a test drive.
• She is leading the recruitment drive.
• The beach is a 20-minute drive away.
• The government has launched a drive to reduce energy consumption.
• The treatment should not affect your sex drive or fertility.
• We have this insatiable drive to be successful in the markets we serve.

• We went for a drive along the coast.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

drive

drive (COMPUTING) /draɪv/
noun [C]
a device for storing computer information:
a disk/tape drive
a floppy/hard drive
a DVD drive.

drive (PLANNED EFFORT) /draɪv/
noun [C]
a planned effort to achieve something:
The latest promotional material is all part of a recruitment drive.
I'm meant to be on an economy drive at the moment, so I'm trying not to spend too much.

drive (PROVIDE POWER) /draɪv/
verb [T] drove, driven
1 to provide the power to keep a machine working, or to make something happen:
The engine drives the wheels.
Water drives the turbines which produce electricity.

2 If you drive a ball, you hit it hard so that it travels a long way:
Slater drove the ball down the fairway.

drive /draɪv/
noun
1 [U] energy and determination to achieve things:
We are looking for someone with drive and ambition.
[+ to infinitive] He has the drive to succeed.
Later on in life the sex drive tends to diminish.

2 [C] (in sport) a powerful hit which sends a ball a long way

driven /ˈdrɪv.^ən/
adjective
describes someone who is so determined to achieve something or be successful that all their behaviour is directed towards this aim:
Like most of the lawyers that I know, Rachel is driven.

-driven/-drɪv.^ən/
suffix
The new ships, propelled by gas turbines, require less maintenance than older, steam-driven ones.
The fact remains that there are some public services that cannot be entirely market-driven (= controlled by economic forces).

driver /ˈdraɪ.vəʳ/ US /-vɚ/
noun [C]
a type of club (= long thin stick) with a wooden head, used in golf

driving /ˈdraɪ.vɪŋ/
adjective [before noun]
1 strong and powerful and therefore causing things to happen:
Driving ambition is what most great leaders have in common.
She was always the driving force behind the scheme.

2 driving rain/snow rain/snow that is falling fast and being blown by the wind:
Driving snow brought more problems on the roads last night.

drive (FORCE) /draɪv/
verb [T] drove, driven
1 to force someone or something to go somewhere or do something:
They used dogs to drive the sheep into a pen.
By the end of the year, most of the occupying troops had been driven from the city.
For the second time in ten years, the government has driven the economy into deep and damaging recession.
A post had been driven (= hit hard) into the ground near the tree.
[+ to infinitive] In the end, it was his violent behaviour that drove her to leave home.

2 to force someone or something into a particular state, often an unpleasant one:
In the course of history, love has driven men and women to strange extremes.

drive (ROAD) /draɪv/
noun
1 [C] (ALSO driveway) a short private road which leads from a public road to a house:
I parked in the drive.

2 used in the names of some roads, especially roads containing houses:
12 Cotswold Drive

drive (USE VEHICLE) /draɪv/
verb [I or T] drove, driven
to move or travel on land in a motor vehicle, especially as the person controlling the vehicle's movement:
I'm learning to drive.
"Are you going by train?" "No, I'm driving."
She drives a red sports car.
They're driving to Scotland on Tuesday.
We saw their car outside the house and drove on/past/away.
I drove my daughter to school.
Compare ride.

drive /draɪv/
noun
1 [C] a journey in a car:
It's a long drive from Glasgow to London.
Shall we go for a drive this afternoon?

2 [U] the system used to power a vehicle:
a car with left-hand/right-hand drive (= in which the driver sits in the seat on the left/right).
a four-wheel drive vehicle

-driven/-drɪv.^ən/
suffix
He arrived every morning by chauffeur-driven car.

driver /ˈdraɪ.vəʳ/ US /-vɚ/
noun [C]
someone who drives a vehicle:
a bus/lorry/truck/taxi driver
The driver of the van was killed in the accident.

driving /ˈdraɪ.vɪŋ/
noun [U]
a driving lesson/school/test
She has to do a lot of driving in her job.

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

drive

/draɪv/
(drives, driving, drove, driven)

Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.

1.
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.
VERB: V prep/adv, V, V n
• driv‧ing
...a qualified driving instructor...
N-UNCOUNT

2.
If you drive someone somewhere, you take them there in a car or other vehicle.
His daughter Carly drove him to the train station.
VERB: V n prep/adv

3.
A drive is a journey in a car or other vehicle.
I thought we might go for a drive on Sunday.
N-COUNT

4.
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
N-COUNT

5.
If something drives a machine, it supplies the power that makes it work.
The current flows into electric motors that drive the wheels.
VERB: V n

6.
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.
N-COUNT: usu supp N
see also disk drive

7.
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.
VERB: V n prep, V n with adv

8.
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.
VERB: V n prep/adv, also V n

9.
If the wind, rain, or snow drives in a particular direction, it moves with great force in that direction.
Rain drove against the window.
VERB: V prep/adv
• driv‧ing
He crashed into a tree in driving rain.
ADJ: ADJ n

10.
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.
VERB: V n prep, V n with adv

11.
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.
VERB: V n into/to n, V n adj

12.
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.
VERB: V n to-inf, V n to n, be V-ed, V-ed

13.
If you say that someone has drive, you mean they have energy and determination.
John will be best remembered for his drive and enthusiasm.
N-UNCOUNT

14.
A drive is a very strong need or desire in human beings that makes them act in particular ways.
...compelling, dynamic sex drives.
N-COUNT

15.
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
N-SING: with supp

16.
Drive is used in the names of some streets.
...23 Queen’s Drive, Malvern, Worcestershire.
N-IN-NAMES

17.
see also driving

18.
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.
PHRASE: V inflects

19.
to drive a hard bargain: see bargain