1
2
3
as in pushes
to apply force to (someone or something) so that it moves in front of one
drove the plunger into the opening
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in compels
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
the corrupt governor was driven out of office
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in activates
to cause to function
machinery driven by waterpower
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in moves
to set or keep in motion
this motor drives the gears, which then turn the shaft
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in speeds
to proceed or move quickly
the runner drove past the finish line and then came to a dead stop
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in highways
a passage cleared for public vehicular travel
raced our motorcycles along the drive
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in campaigns
a series of activities undertaken to achieve a goal
a fund-raising drive for the school's marching band
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of drives
Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 18 Sep. 2025
Create a review system that forces brutal honesty and drives real change.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Over half of the generation says hard work, not luck, drives success.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2025
Her daughter Athena, who’s 65, drives her to The Edge Fitness Club in Norwalk, Connecticut, nearly every day.
—Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 11 Sep. 2025
Johnson immediately lets out an expletive and quickly drives past the animal.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Apr. 2025
For example, a lack of government buy-in and support means insurance companies aren’t as likely to cover genetic screening, which drives up costs and puts tests out of reach for many patients.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2025
Far from being a drain on city resources, historic preservation drives long-term economic growth.
—Bruce D Coons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2025
So, what's so special about these little beauties, enough that protecting their honor drives a young video game journalist to kill his friend as retribution for crimes committed against their tiny artificially intelligent souls?
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 17 Sep. 2025
Over time, that consistency becomes your identity, and identity drives behavior.
—Wilson Luna, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Scenic drives like Blewett Pass and trails in Mount Spokane, the Selkirks, and the Blue Mountains are also popular larch-spotting destinations.
—Zoe Baillargeon, Travel + Leisure, 16 Sep. 2025
That, more than anything else, explains the Dolphins' dominance, which included four straight scoring drives heading into the fourth quarter.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Sep. 2025
Jones led the Colts to scores in each of their seven drives against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1.
—Ben Morse, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025
Indianapolis extended its streak of consecutive scoring drives to nine, but again settled for a Shrader field goal — this one from 33 yards.
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Where people have muscles and tendons, robots have actuators, compact electric drives at each joint that deliver torque and precise control.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2025
The goal is self-perpetuating aid rather than endless fundraising drives.
—Jason Phillips, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
Travelers plug in their dates and destinations, and owners of more than 2,000 aircraft bid for the business in real time, creating a competitive environment that drives down costs.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 18 Sep. 2025
Create a review system that forces brutal honesty and drives real change.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Over half of the generation says hard work, not luck, drives success.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2025
Her daughter Athena, who’s 65, drives her to The Edge Fitness Club in Norwalk, Connecticut, nearly every day.
—Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 11 Sep. 2025
Johnson immediately lets out an expletive and quickly drives past the animal.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Apr. 2025
For example, a lack of government buy-in and support means insurance companies aren’t as likely to cover genetic screening, which drives up costs and puts tests out of reach for many patients.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2025
Far from being a drain on city resources, historic preservation drives long-term economic growth.
—Bruce D Coons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2025
So, what's so special about these little beauties, enough that protecting their honor drives a young video game journalist to kill his friend as retribution for crimes committed against their tiny artificially intelligent souls?
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Noun
The offense mustered just seven points in the opening half of Week 3 and then hit its stride with five-straight touchdown drives in the second-half onslaught against Monmouth.
—Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 17 Sep. 2025
Over time, that consistency becomes your identity, and identity drives behavior.
—Wilson Luna, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Scenic drives like Blewett Pass and trails in Mount Spokane, the Selkirks, and the Blue Mountains are also popular larch-spotting destinations.
—Zoe Baillargeon, Travel + Leisure, 16 Sep. 2025
That, more than anything else, explains the Dolphins' dominance, which included four straight scoring drives heading into the fourth quarter.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Sep. 2025
Jones led the Colts to scores in each of their seven drives against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1.
—Ben Morse, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025
Indianapolis extended its streak of consecutive scoring drives to nine, but again settled for a Shrader field goal — this one from 33 yards.
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Where people have muscles and tendons, robots have actuators, compact electric drives at each joint that deliver torque and precise control.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2025
The goal is self-perpetuating aid rather than endless fundraising drives.
—Jason Phillips, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drives
Verb
-
Christian Clark #6 of the Texas Longhorns runs the ball in the first quarter against the UTEP Miners at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 13, 2025 in Austin, Texas.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Sep. 2025
-
The Vantage Club runs as high as $20,000, while the Legends Club is $6,000 to $8,500.—
Kurt Badenhausen,
Sportico.com,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Built as a modern Mega Drive (or Genesis) game with a cartridge release planned next year, Earthion really pushes what that console can do.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have pulled off a breakthrough that pushes the boundaries of quantum physics into new territory.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Still, the desire to understand the planet compels them to keep putting on their snowsuits, their wet suits, their business suits.—
Yasemin Saplakoglu,
Quanta Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Yet these productions are increasingly designed around an ethos of visual-over-depth that compels us to immediately document and post each scene.—
David Hochman,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The system, created by Eshel Wasim and Dharsan Srinivasan, uses AI and sensors to detect when a crash is imminent and activates automatically if the plane is below 3,000 feet.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Neuroscience confirms that a rival’s failure actually activates the ventral striatum, the brain’s pleasure center, rivaling the thrill of a team’s success.—
Richard Menger MD MPA,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray has confirmed plans to pursue the death penalty, meaning Robinson will remain in custody without bail as the case moves toward trial.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry
Joshua Rhett Miller,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Conventional engines burn fuel in a steady process, where the flame front (the area at which combustion occurs) moves smoothly through a propellant mixture to produce continuous thrust.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In Chaos One of the hardest instincts to train is staying calm when everything speeds up.—
Aslak de Silva,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
With five blades sandwiched between two moisturizing bars, this razor speeds up the entire process (no fussing around with shaving cream), nourishing dry skin and making nicks a rare occurrence.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Like highways before them, these assets require major upfront investment, deliver stable cash flows over decades, and serve as essential enablers of growth.—
Maurice Obeid,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Here's your daily look at traffic on major highways in the Kansas City area.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Biglari’s proxy battles stand as one of the longest and most contentious activist campaigns in restaurant industry history.—
Lily Mae Lazarus,
Fortune,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Over 20 message packages were sent from the telescope in four messaging campaigns targeting potentially habitable planets orbiting stars outside the solar system.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drives. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.
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