1
as in flowed
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 hovered
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 wandered
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of drifted
Any natural satellites of Psyche could’ve been ejected from the body by ancient impacts—or might’ve even been captured from deep space by chance encounters as the asteroid drifted through the solar system.
—
Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 14 May 2026
The film stars Haddish, Regina Hall, Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith – the Flossy Posse – four longtime friends who have slowly drifted apart due to life’s demands.
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 13 May 2026
New governing party turns toward the EU Magyar has promised to repair his country's ties with the EU, which Orbán had pushed to a breaking point, and to restore Hungary's place among Western democracies, whose standing had been called into question as Orbán drifted ever closer to Russia.
—CBS News, 9 May 2026
Even as Benn executed another slot-line pass, this time to Matt Duchene, Sorokin drifted toward the goal line and shifted back to his left.
—Fluto Shinzawa, New York Times, 9 May 2026
The mussels’ tiny larvae have drifted down canals and aqueducts of the State Water Project and have been detected as far south as Bakersfield, Los Angeles and San Diego counties.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
As Ben exited to help the Equinox driver, a Jeep Liberty traveling south then hit the Equinox and drifted across the road, running into Ben, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 7 May 2026
The staircase to the second floor had a stair lift, and into my head drifted an image of an elderly widow, slowly ascending to her bedroom after eating alone, her kitchen overflowing with porcelain and crystal reminders of dinner parties long ago.
—Literary Hub, 6 May 2026
Turner had drifted from the Christianity of his youth after watching his sister Mary Jean suffer and die at 17.
—Ashley Lutz, Fortune, 6 May 2026
Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 14 May 2026
The film stars Haddish, Regina Hall, Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith – the Flossy Posse – four longtime friends who have slowly drifted apart due to life’s demands.
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 13 May 2026
New governing party turns toward the EU Magyar has promised to repair his country's ties with the EU, which Orbán had pushed to a breaking point, and to restore Hungary's place among Western democracies, whose standing had been called into question as Orbán drifted ever closer to Russia.
—CBS News, 9 May 2026
Even as Benn executed another slot-line pass, this time to Matt Duchene, Sorokin drifted toward the goal line and shifted back to his left.
—Fluto Shinzawa, New York Times, 9 May 2026
The mussels’ tiny larvae have drifted down canals and aqueducts of the State Water Project and have been detected as far south as Bakersfield, Los Angeles and San Diego counties.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
As Ben exited to help the Equinox driver, a Jeep Liberty traveling south then hit the Equinox and drifted across the road, running into Ben, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 7 May 2026
The staircase to the second floor had a stair lift, and into my head drifted an image of an elderly widow, slowly ascending to her bedroom after eating alone, her kitchen overflowing with porcelain and crystal reminders of dinner parties long ago.
—Literary Hub, 6 May 2026
Turner had drifted from the Christianity of his youth after watching his sister Mary Jean suffer and die at 17.
—Ashley Lutz, Fortune, 6 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drifted
Verb
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Fringe flowed from the sleeves and the dress’ skirt for a heavy effect that exuded the textural elements incorporated in Givenchy’s fall 2026 ready-to-wear showcase.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
17 May 2026
-
Together, all of those developments deepened class and regional inequalities, as capital flowed away from workers in the industrial hinterland toward financial centers like New York.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Yet hotel occupancy rates that year hovered at a dismal 30 percent.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
-
That sense of momentum hovered over the entire fair.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Bum-seok listens impatiently to their second-hand accounts of tiger tracks being sighted in the mountains, leading them to assume the animal must have wandered all the way down from Siberia.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
-
The other day, an elephant wandered onto this very field.—
Diaa Hadid,
NPR,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Over the course of May 9 and 10, scientists at the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory worked around the clock to develop a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for Andes hantavirus, which has sickened at least 10 and killed three people who sailed on board the MV Hondius.—
Tanya Lewis,
Scientific American,
18 May 2026
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The ship then sailed for the port of Praia in Cape Verde, but was denied permission to dock.—
Mary Whitfill Roeloffs,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
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The proposal differs from other ideas that have been floated to replace gas tax money that isn't collected from EV drivers.—
Keith Laing,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
-
Watts has said doctors initially dismissed her menopause symptoms and floated other diagnoses before considering hormones.—
Samantha Agate,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
James has never roamed the campus as a Buckeye star.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
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Other dinosaurs that would've roamed the terrain include iguanodontians and ceratopsians, plant-eating dinosaurs, in addition to carcharodontosaurians and spinosaurids, big meat-eaters.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Verb
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The white objects sometimes streaked across the screen in less than a second, while others slowly glided through the air or were followed by the camera.—
Seung Min Kim,
Fortune,
9 May 2026
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The white objects sometimes streaked across the screen in less than a second, while others slowly glided through the air or were followed by the camera.—
Seung Min Kim,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
Verb
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The original oceanic adventure was released only a decade ago, and the second movie swam into theaters in November 2024.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
13 May 2026
-
Crisp swam up to over a dozen people in the wave pool that day and placed his hands on their buttocks, according to Ada County Deputy Prosecutor Brittany Ford, who was referring to surveillance footage reviewed by law enforcement.—
Alex Brizee,
Idaho Statesman,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Drifted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drifted. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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