Drive - Definition

n 1: the act of applying force to propel something; "after
reaching the desired velocity the drive is cut off" [syn:
drive, thrust, driving force]
2: a mechanism by which force or power is transmitted in a
machine; "a variable speed drive permitted operation through
a range of speeds"
3: a series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a
particular end; "he supported populist campaigns"; "they
worked in the cause of world peace"; "the team was ready for
a drive toward the pennant"; "the movement to end slavery";
"contributed to the war effort" [syn: campaign, cause,
crusade, drive, movement, effort]
4: a road leading up to a private house; "they parked in the
driveway" [syn: driveway, drive, private road]
5: the trait of being highly motivated; "his drive and energy
exhausted his co-workers"
6: hitting a golf ball off of a tee with a driver; "he sliced
his drive out of bounds" [syn: drive, driving]
7: the act of driving a herd of animals overland
8: a journey in a vehicle (usually an automobile); "he took the
family for a drive in his new car" [syn: drive, ride]
9: a physiological state corresponding to a strong need or
desire
10: (computer science) a device that writes data onto or reads
data from a storage medium
11: a wide scenic road planted with trees; "the riverside drive
offers many exciting scenic views" [syn: drive, parkway]
12: (sports) a hard straight return (as in tennis or squash)
v 1: operate or control a vehicle; "drive a car or bus"; "Can
you drive this four-wheel truck?"
2: travel or be transported in a vehicle; "We drove to the
university every morning"; "They motored to London for the
theater" [syn: drive, motor]
3: cause someone or something to move by driving; "She drove me
to school every day"; "We drove the car to the garage"
4: force into or from an action or state, either physically or
metaphorically; "She rammed her mind into focus"; "He drives
me mad" [syn: force, drive, ram]
5: to compel or force or urge relentlessly or exert coercive
pressure on, or motivate strongly; "She is driven by her
passion"
6: cause to move back by force or influence; "repel the enemy";
"push back the urge to smoke"; "beat back the invaders" [syn:
repel, drive, repulse, force back, push back, beat
back] [ant: attract, draw, draw in, pull, pull in]
7: compel somebody to do something, often against his own will
or judgment; "She finally drove him to change jobs"
8: push, propel, or press with force; "Drive a nail into the
wall"
9: cause to move rapidly by striking or throwing with force;
"drive the ball far out into the field"
10: strive and make an effort to reach a goal; "She tugged for
years to make a decent living"; "We have to push a little to
make the deadline!"; "She is driving away at her doctoral
thesis" [syn: tug, labor, labour, push, drive]
11: move into a desired direction of discourse; "What are you
driving at?" [syn: drive, get, aim]
12: have certain properties when driven; "This car rides
smoothly"; "My new truck drives well" [syn: drive, ride]
13: work as a driver; "He drives a bread truck"; "She drives for
the taxi company in Newark"
14: move by being propelled by a force; "The car drove around
the corner"
15: urge forward; "drive the cows into the barn"
16: proceed along in a vehicle; "We drive the turnpike to work"
[syn: drive, take]
17: strike with a driver, as in teeing off; "drive a golf ball"
18: hit very hard, as by swinging a bat horizontally; "drive a
ball"
19: excavate horizontally; "drive a tunnel"
20: cause to function by supplying the force or power for or by
controlling; "The amplifier drives the tube"; "steam drives
the engines"; "this device drives the disks for the
computer"
21: hunting: search for game; "drive the forest"
22: hunting: chase from cover into more open ground; "drive the
game"