4 N‑COUNT A drive is a wide piece of hard ground, or sometimes a private road, that leads from the road to a person's house.
5 VERB If something drives a machine, it supplies the power that makes it work. □ [V n] The current flows into electric motors that drive the wheels.
6 N‑COUNT You use drive to refer to the mechanical part of a computer which reads the data on disks and tapes, or writes data onto them. □ The easiest way to back up your computer is with an external hard disk drive.
7 → see also disk drive
8 VERB If you drive something such as a nail into something else, you push it in or hammer it in using a lot of effort. □ [V n prep] I used a sledgehammer to drive the pegs into the ground. □ [V n with adv] I held it still and drove in a nail.
9 VERB In games such as cricket, golf, or football, if a player drives a ball somewhere, they kick or hit it there with a lot of force. □ [V n prep/adv] Armstrong drove the ball into the roof of the net. [Also V n]
10 VERB If the wind, rain, or snow drives in a particular direction, it moves with great force in that direction. □ [V prep/adv] Rain drove against the window. ● driv|ing ADJ [ADJ n] □ He crashed into a tree in driving rain.
11 VERB If you drive people or animals somewhere, you make them go to or from that place. □ [V n prep] The last offensive drove thousands of people into Thailand. □ [V n with adv] The smoke also drove mosquitoes away.
12 VERB To drive someone into a particular state or situation means to force them into that state or situation. □ [V n + into/to ] The recession and hospital bills drove them into bankruptcy. □ [V n adj] He nearly drove Elsie mad with his fussing.
13 VERB The desire or feeling that drives a person to do something, especially something extreme, is the desire or feeling that causes them to do it. □ [V n to-inf] More than once, depression drove him to attempt suicide. □ [V n + to ] Jealousy drives people to murder. □ [be V -ed] …people who are driven by guilt, resentment and anxiety. □ [V -ed] …a man driven by a pathological need to win. [Also V n]
14 N‑UNCOUNT If you say that someone has drive , you mean they have energy and determination. □ John will be best remembered for his drive and enthusiasm.
15 N‑COUNT A drive is a very strong need or desire in human beings that makes them act in particular ways. □ …compelling, dynamic sex drives.
16 N‑SING A drive is a special effort made by a group of people for a particular purpose. □ They plan to launch a nationwide recruitment drive.
17 N‑COUNT Drive is used in the names of some streets. □ …23 Queen's Drive, Malvern, Worcestershire.
18 → see also driving
19 PHRASE If you ask someone what they are driving at , you are asking what they are trying to say or what they are saying indirectly. □ It was clear Cohen didn't understand what Millard was driving at.
20 to drive a hard bargain → see bargain
▸ drive away PHRASAL VERB To drive people away means to make them want to go away or stay away. □ [V n P ] Patrick's boorish rudeness soon drove Monica's friends away. □ [V P n] Increased crime is driving away customers.
▸ drive off PHRASAL VERB If you drive someone or something off , you force them to go away and to stop attacking you or threatening you. □ [V n P ] The government drove the guerrillas off with infantry and air strikes. □ [V P n] Men drove off the dogs with stones.
▸ drive out PHRASAL VERB To drive out something means to make it disappear or stop operating. □ [V P n] He cut his rates to drive out rivals.
dri ve-by ADJ [ADJ n] A drive-by shooting or a drive-by murder involves shooting someone from a moving car.
dri ve-in (drive-ins ) N‑COUNT A drive-in is a restaurant, cinema, or other commercial place which is specially designed so that customers can use the services provided while staying in their cars. □ …fast food drive-ins. ● ADJ [ADJ n] Drive-in is also an adjective. □ …a drive-in movie theater.
driv|el /dr I v ə l/ N‑UNCOUNT If you describe something that is written or said as drivel , you are critical of it because you think it is very silly. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ What absolute drivel!
driv|en /dr I v ə n/ Driven is the past participle of drive .
driv|er ◆◆◇ /dra I və r / (drivers )
1 N‑COUNT The driver of a vehicle is the person who is driving it. □ The driver got out of his van. □ …a taxi driver.
2 → see also back-seat driver
3 N‑COUNT A driver is a computer program that controls a device such as a printer. [COMPUTING ] □ …printer driver software. COLLOCATIONS driver NOUN 1
noun + driver : bus, car, taxi, train; delivery, racing; learner
adjective + driver : drunk, uninsured, unlicensed; female, male, young; careful, experienced, safe
driver + be + adjective : unhurt, uninjured
dri v|er's li|cense (driver's licenses ) N‑COUNT A driver's license is a card showing that you are qualified to drive because you have passed a driving test. [AM ] in BRIT, use driving licence
dri v|er's seat
1 N‑SING In a vehicle such as a car or a bus, the driver's seat is the seat where the person who is driving sits.