drive
A1Wide-ranging, from highly formal ('market forces drive innovation') to informal ('let's drive up there').
Definition
Meaning
To operate and control the direction and speed of a motor vehicle.
To push, force, or urge someone or something into a particular state, condition, or course of action; a strong determined effort; a fundamental motivating force or instinct.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
'Drive' combines concrete vehicle operation with abstract senses of motivation, compulsion, and forceful energy. The noun can refer to a journey, a road, a device, or psychological energy.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
British English uses 'motorway' for a major road you 'drive' on; American uses 'highway' or 'freeway'. In computing, both use 'hard drive', but 'disk drive' is more common in UK English.
Connotations
In both, 'drive' implies determination, but 'to have drive' is a more common compliment for ambition in AmE. The noun 'driveway' (AmE) is typically 'drive' in BrE.
Frequency
The core verb meaning is equally high-frequency. The noun meaning 'determination' is slightly more common in AmE.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[SBJ] drive [OBJ] (e.g., She drives a van)[SBJ] drive [OBJ] [ADJ] (e.g., The noise drove him mad)[SBJ] drive [OBJ] to [INF] (e.g., Hunger drove him to steal)[SBJ] drive [PATH] (e.g., We drove through the mountains)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “drive a hard bargain”
- “drive someone up the wall”
- “drive home”
- “in the driver's seat”
- “what are you driving at?”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
'The new CEO will drive growth in emerging markets.' (meaning: lead/push forward)
Academic
'Freudian theory posits the life and death drives as fundamental.'
Everyday
'Can you drive me to the station?'
Technical
'The turbine is driven by steam pressure.' (engineering)
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- She learnt to drive on the country lanes.
- The government's policies will drive inflation down.
- Don't drive yourself too hard.
American English
- He drives a truck for a living.
- This campaign is designed to drive sales.
- What is driving this recent trend?
adverb
British English
- N/A (not standard)
American English
- N/A (not standard)
adjective
British English
- The drive mechanism is faulty. (technical)
- He showed great drive and initiative. (noun used attributively)
American English
- We took a drive-thru lane. (as in 'drive-thru')
- The drive time on the radio was terrible. (relating to commuting)
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I can drive a car.
- We drive to work every day.
- Be careful when you drive in the rain.
- His ambition drives him to work long hours.
- Let's go for a drive in the countryside this afternoon.
- The software is installed on the computer's hard drive.
- The company's relentless drive for efficiency has led to job cuts.
- She drove home the importance of meeting the deadline.
- Market speculation is driving up the price of oil.
- The narrative is driven by the protagonist's internal conflict.
- He was driven by a profound sense of guilt to confess.
- The tectonic plates are driven by convection currents in the mantle.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
A car DRIVE needs a DRIVer Inside (I) to make it VEhicle go.
Conceptual Metaphor
EMOTION/URGE IS A FORCE THAT DRIVES A PERSON (e.g., 'driven by jealousy', 'sexual drive').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse 'drive a car' (управлять машиной) with 'ride' (ездить) as a passenger. 'Driveway' is not 'проезжая часть' (that's 'carriageway'), but подъездная дорожка. The noun 'drive' as 'energy' is not the same as 'драйв' (slang for fun/excitement).
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: *'I drove by walk' (use 'I walked'). Correct: 'I drove'.
- Incorrect: *'He drives always carefully.' Correct: 'He always drives carefully.' (Adverb position).
- Incorrect: *'We made a drive to Scotland.' Correct: 'We went for a drive / drove to Scotland.'
Practice
Quiz
In American English, which phrase would be LEAST likely to use 'drive'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Driver's license' is American. The British equivalent is 'driving licence'.
Yes, e.g., 'a recruitment drive' or 'a charity drive' means an organized, intensive effort to achieve a specific goal.
'Drive' implies you are controlling the vehicle. 'Ride' implies you are a passenger in or on a vehicle (bike, bus, horse) you are not controlling.
No. 'Driven' is the past participle, but it's also commonly used as an adjective meaning 'highly motivated', e.g., 'a driven individual'.
Collections
Part of a collection
Transport
A2 · 48 words · Ways of getting from place to place.