1
as in flows
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 hovers
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 wanders
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 tides
a prevailing or general movement or inclination
the steady drift of the population away from large cities
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in senses
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
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of drifts
Seth Wickersham, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2025
Modern systems analyze patterns of active work, idle stretches and meeting length in real time, giving leaders a live feed of how productivity drifts through a day.
—Kolawole Samuel Adebayo, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
The smell of 50k pumpkin donuts drifts down the street.
—Katherine Laidlaw, HubSpot, 5 Sep. 2025
The former Chelsea and Aston Villa winger offers Sunderland something slightly different in terms of being a left-footed player who drifts in from the right.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2025
The video shows the shark's dorsal fin cutting across the water before the giant fish drifts along the side of the kayak, its skin visible just below the surface.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
The cost of parties, marketing, shipping, insurance, and the decorous administration of nearly five hundred sales a year only ever drifts one way.
—Sam Knight, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
And that drifts into the mental part.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 21 Aug. 2025
But what happens if that multiple drifts downward to, say, a still elevated 25 over the next half-decade?
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 16 Aug. 2025
Beth Kephart
september 10, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2025
No one is checking whether these tools actually help people get better at their jobs or if the natural conversation with the AI drifts outside of its expertise.
—Joseph Freed, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Snowdrops readily naturalize and are best planted in drifts along woodland edges or under large trees.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 24 Aug. 2025
Spanish drifts along the rows, a joke here, a warning there, carried in the heavy air.
—Dean Florez, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2025
Thanks to a prescient investment in producing a promotional video for the CTR model, the world would become acquainted with Ruf through scenes of gratuitous smokey drifts on the Nurburgring, captured from a helicopter no less.
—Christian Gilbertsen, Robb Report, 12 Aug. 2025
The hazy skies and smoky smell is back — a now-annual sign of summer — as Canadian wildfire smoke drifts into our region.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
But, as always, the talk drifts toward quarterbacks, that uniquely American job with uniquely American responsibilities.
—Seth Wickersham, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2025
Modern systems analyze patterns of active work, idle stretches and meeting length in real time, giving leaders a live feed of how productivity drifts through a day.
—Kolawole Samuel Adebayo, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
The smell of 50k pumpkin donuts drifts down the street.
—Katherine Laidlaw, HubSpot, 5 Sep. 2025
The former Chelsea and Aston Villa winger offers Sunderland something slightly different in terms of being a left-footed player who drifts in from the right.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2025
The video shows the shark's dorsal fin cutting across the water before the giant fish drifts along the side of the kayak, its skin visible just below the surface.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
The cost of parties, marketing, shipping, insurance, and the decorous administration of nearly five hundred sales a year only ever drifts one way.
—Sam Knight, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
And that drifts into the mental part.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 21 Aug. 2025
But what happens if that multiple drifts downward to, say, a still elevated 25 over the next half-decade?
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 16 Aug. 2025
Noun
No Model Ts, no Chevrolet Ds, no Overland Model 90Bs, no automobiles in the thick drifts of snow on the streets.
—Beth Kephart
september 10, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2025
No one is checking whether these tools actually help people get better at their jobs or if the natural conversation with the AI drifts outside of its expertise.
—Joseph Freed, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Snowdrops readily naturalize and are best planted in drifts along woodland edges or under large trees.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 24 Aug. 2025
Spanish drifts along the rows, a joke here, a warning there, carried in the heavy air.
—Dean Florez, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2025
Thanks to a prescient investment in producing a promotional video for the CTR model, the world would become acquainted with Ruf through scenes of gratuitous smokey drifts on the Nurburgring, captured from a helicopter no less.
—Christian Gilbertsen, Robb Report, 12 Aug. 2025
The hazy skies and smoky smell is back — a now-annual sign of summer — as Canadian wildfire smoke drifts into our region.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drifts
Verb
-
Recognizing that communication flows in both directions, LenderDock also introduced NOTiFi™, a tool that digitizes the mandatory notifications carriers must send to lineholders when policy changes occur.—
Sixteen Ramos,
USA Today,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Enjoy it at a roadside table as the city’s rhythm flows around you.—
Duncan Greenfield-Turk,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The best part of all for us is that the public still sees insurers as stuffy pencil-pushers (the same type of outdated view that hovers over agriculture).—
Brett Owens,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Edith Wharton also hovers in the narrowing of female options as the years pass by.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Although the park attracts millions of nature-loving visitors every year, terrestrial cell phone signal quickly wanes once one wanders off populated areas and away from main roads.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Anthony Mackie plays himself as a self-serious star making a deeply personal, awards-bait movie, whereas Dave Franco wanders around drunk and high on weed and mushrooms.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Taken from burial mounds in southeast Minnesota, the remains had been held by Minnesota institutions for many decades.—
Melissa Olson,
Twin Cities,
14 Sep. 2025
-
These enormous mounds of debris left over from the feasts contained thousands of bones.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In our case, the timing of the tides required us to head for port a day early, allowing for extra sightseeing time, to dine off the ship, and stretch our legs.—
Stefanie Waldek,
AFAR Media,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Every 12 hours, in between tides, those totes are carried onto tenders which act as the middleman between ship and plant.—
Andrew Watman,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Just as nice, though, is how this gentle creamy cleanser still suds up to a satisfying lather, leaving your limbs—and your senses—feeling refreshed.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Focus on indulging in your senses.—
Kyle Thomas,
PEOPLE,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The plushy Outlast Forever Velvet Pigment continues the tradition but with a comfortable, flexible formula that glides on smooth and dries down matte without drying out your lips.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Particularly when set to the Maybach-only suspension/powertrain calibration, the car just glides even over the horrible roads of Southern California.—
Mark Ewing,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Imagine gliding across long distances at nearly 400 miles per hour on a train that floats silently above its tracks.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Warren floats somewhere in the mix — anywhere between the hashes.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drifts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drifts. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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