verb, noun
verb (drove )
vehicle
1 to operate a vehicle so that it goes in a particular direction:
[V] Can you drive? * Don't drive so fast! * I drove to work this morning. * Shall we drive (= go there by car) or go by train? * [VN] He drives a taxi (= that is his job).
2 [VN] [usually +adv./prep.] to take sb somewhere in a car, taxi, etc:
Could you drive me home?
3 [VN] to own or use a particular type of vehicle:
What car do you drive?
machine
4 [VN] [usuallypassive] to provide the power that makes a machine work:
a steam-driven locomotive
make sb do sth
5 [VN] to force sb to act in a particular way:
The urge to survive drove them on. * You're driving yourself too hard.
6 to make sb very angry, crazy, etc. or to make them do sth extreme:
[VN-ADJ] to drive sb crazy / mad * [VNtoinf] Hunger drove her to steal. * [VN] Those kids are driving me to despair. * (humorous) It's enough to drive you to drink (= to make you start drinking too much alcohol)!
make sb / sth move
7 [VN+adv./prep.] to force sb/sth to move in a particular direction:
to drive sheep into a field * The enemy was driven back.
hit / push
8 [VN+adv./prep.] to force sth to go in a particular direction or into a particular position by pushing it, hitting it, etc:
to drive a nail into a piece of wood
make a hole
9 [VN+adv./prep.] to make an opening in or through sth by using force:
They drove a tunnel through the solid rock.
in sport
10 to hit a ball with force, sending it forward:
[VN] to drive the ball into the rough (= in golf) [also V]
wind / water
11 [VN] [usually +adv./prep.] to carry sth along:
Huge waves drove the yacht onto the rocks.
12 [V] [usually +adv./prep.] to fall or move rapidly and with great force:
The waves drove against the shore. * driving rain
IDIOMS
drive a coach and horses through sth to spoil sth, for example a plan
drive sth home (to sb) to make sb understand or accept sth, by saying it often, loudly, angrily, etc:
You will really need to drive your point home.
drive sb insane to make sb more and more angry or irritated, especially over a long period of time:
This job is driving me insane.
what sb is driving at the thing sb is trying to say:
I wish I knew what they were really driving at.
moreatGROUNDn., HARDadj., SNOWn.
PHRASALVERBS
drive away
