1
as in to flow
to move or proceed smoothly and readily
casual conversation drifting from one topic to another
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to hover
to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air
the boat drifted along on the current
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to wander
to move about from place to place aimlessly
spent several years drifting from town to town, picking up odd jobs whenever he needed cash
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
2
as in tide
a prevailing or general movement or inclination
the steady drift of the population away from large cities
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in sense
the idea that is conveyed or intended to be conveyed to the mind by language, symbol, or action
you should expect a visit from the stork, if you get my drift
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of drift
Jeff McDonald,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 July 2026
People often watch them with comments from other viewers drifting across their screens.
—
Lavender Au,
The Dial,
30 June 2026
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 June 2026
The scent of fresh sourdough drifts from one room as the aroma of Korean soul food fill the air in another.
—
Jeff Gritchen,
Oc Register,
25 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for drift
Verb
Davis drifted away from professional musicianship, in part to focus on her education, but the couple continued playing commercially with The Luxembourg Signal for many years.
—
Jeff McDonald,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 July 2026
People often watch them with comments from other viewers drifting across their screens.
—
Lavender Au,
The Dial,
30 June 2026
Noun
Inspect for pests, provide adequate sunlight, and protect plants from extreme temperatures or herbicide drift.
—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 June 2026
The scent of fresh sourdough drifts from one room as the aroma of Korean soul food fill the air in another.
—
Jeff Gritchen,
Oc Register,
25 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for drift
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drift
Verb
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Rainfall — as little as a tenth of an inch, according to the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, or ALCOSAN — can cause an overflow of stormwater and raw sewage to flow into the rivers.
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Through the morning, a river of mourners dressed in black flowed from the Grand Mosalla.
Verb
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Dark clouds hovered around the stadium just before kickoff, threatening to delay the start of the game, but Mother Nature apparently is a soccer fan, because the storm veered away.
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Temperatures in the beach cities pleasantly hovered in the 70s, a stark contrast to East Coast communities broiling in a heat wave.
Verb
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Throughout the weekend, someone wandering around Mass MoCA’s campus might have caught excellent mainstage opening acts like Gang of Four (featuring Ted Leo on guitar) or the Breeders, representing two strains of Eighties and Nineties alt/punk rock.
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Most ticks are content to sit and wait for a meal to wander past; lone stars have no patience for that.
Noun
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Fittingly, on Saturday, Yamamoto took the mound against the Padres and threw seven shutout innings.
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Joyce was on the verge of returning to the major leagues in late May, but he was shut down and didn’t get back on a mound for nearly a month.
Noun
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Over decades, the tides shift surrounding sand while marine life, like algae, grows over the device, camouflaging it into the natural ocean environment.
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Season after season, year after year, the tides have come in and out of New York Harbor long before the name New York had ever been spoken; Lenape dugouts crossed these currents.
Noun
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Against that backdrop, some say the ships are offering a surprising sense of connection.
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Since relocating to Los Angeles, Gonzalez’s small downtown team has scaled Happy Organics into a design-forward brand carried by major retailers, anchored in local maker communities and a sense of purpose.
Verb
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Clear sunscreen sticks glide across the skin without leaving the chalky white cast that mineral formulas can create, and their solid texture means less dripping or rubbing than a lotion.
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The kit allows the bomb to glide 60 to 80 kilometers following the release from aircraft such as the Su-34, Su-35, and Su-30.
Verb
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The usual carousel of famous people making the podcast rounds — Kamala Harris on Call Her Daddy, Tyrese on Joe Budden, the endless stream of tiny heads floating in front of screenshots of articles — is interrupted by something startlingly familiar.
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The nucleus disassembles, letting these crucial genetic instructions float free in the cell’s soupy interior.
Cite this Entry
“Drift.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drift. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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