drift

1 of 2

noun

ˈdrift

plural drifts

: the act of driving something along

: the flow or the velocity of the current of a river or ocean stream

: something driven, propelled, or urged along or drawn together in a clump by or as if by a natural agency: such as

: wind-driven snow, rain, cloud, dust, or smoke usually at or near the ground surface

b(1)

: a mass of matter (such as sand) deposited together by or as if by wind or water

(2)

: a helter-skelter accumulation

: drove, flock

: something (such as driftwood) washed ashore

: rock debris deposited by natural agents

specifically : a deposit of clay, sand, gravel, and boulders transported by a glacier or by running water from a glacier

: a general underlying design or tendency

perceiving the drift of the government's policies

: the underlying meaning, import, or purport of what is spoken or written

the drift of a conversation

: something (such as a tool) driven down upon or forced into a body

: the motion or action of drifting especially spatially and usually under external influence: such as

: the lateral motion of an aircraft due to air currents

: an easy moderate more or less steady flow or sweep along a spatial course

: a gradual shift in attitude, opinion, or position

: an aimless course

especially : a forgoing of any attempt at direction or control

: a deviation from a true reproduction, representation, or reading

especially : a gradual change in the zero reading of an instrument or in any quantitative characteristic that is supposed to remain constant

: a deliberate, controlled skid by a vehicle turning through a corner at high speed : an instance of automotive drifting

Backing off the throttle on corner entries induces a soupçon of oversteer, just enough to allow a little sliding at the apex in an easily controlled four-wheel drift, that most delightful of sports-car experiences—when it doesn't hurl one off a cliff.

Tony Swan

called also powerslide

: a nearly horizontal mine passageway driven on or parallel to the course of a vein or rock stratum

: a small crosscut in a mine connecting two larger tunnels

: an assumed trend toward a general change in the structure of a language over a period of time

: genetic drift

: a grouping of similar flowers planted in an elongated mass

drifty

ˈdrif-tē

adjective

drift

2 of 2

verb

drifted; drifting; drifts

intransitive verb

: to become driven or carried along (as by a current of water, wind, or air)

a balloon drifting in the wind

: to move or float smoothly and effortlessly

: to move along a line of least resistance

: to move in a random or casual way

: to become carried along subject to no guidance or control

the talk drifted from topic to topic

: to accumulate in a mass or become piled up in heaps by wind or water

drifting snow

: to become covered with a drift

: to vary or deviate from a set course or adjustment

transitive verb

: to cause to be driven in a current

Western US : to drive (livestock) slowly especially to allow grazing

: to pile in heaps

: to cover with drifts

driftingly

ˈdrif-tiŋ-lē How to pronounce drift (audio)

adverb

Synonyms

Noun

bank
bar
mound

Verb

bowl
breeze
brush
coast
cruise
flow
glide
roll
sail
skim
slide
slip
stream
sweep
whisk

See all Synonyms & Antonyms

Example Sentences

Noun the slow drift of the clouds As she got older, you could observe a drift in her writing towards more serious subjects. the government's drift towards a centralization of power Verb The boat slowly drifted out to sea. The clouds drifted across the sky. The snow drifted against the side of the house. Drifting snow covered most of the car. The party guests drifted from room to room, eating and mingling. Her eyes drifted across the crowd. The conversation drifted from topic to topic. My thoughts drifted back to the time when we first met. After he left the army he just drifted for a few years. She drifted from job to job. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The car got onto US 422 westbound, at which point the officer saw the car drift between lanes.

cleveland, 12 July 2022 One of the common challenges across NATO is the political drift from its core values, Lute said.

Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 1 July 2022 But the drift away from target men may have its roots, too, in the race to industrialize talent production over much the same time period.

New York Times, 17 June 2022 Let the club-face drift half an inch from perfect, and your ball may be in the woods.

Daniel Henninger, WSJ, 15 June 2022 Travis Pastrana, who has taken over the helm of the Gymkhana YouTube series from Ken Block, has shown off his latest drift car, a 1983 Subaru GL wagon.

Caleb Miller, Car and Driver, 20 Jan. 2022 Professional drivers drove the drift car and GT car and the participants were passengers.

Chris Perkins, sun-sentinel.com, 11 Sep. 2021 For adults who want the thrill of a race car that's capable of handing slides around bends, this drift car from Redcat Racing is an excellent choice.

Rachel Klein, Popular Mechanics, 4 Aug. 2022 From there, friends, family, and authorities began piecing together the fragments of Little’s legacy and how, exactly, the freewheeling musician’s bones ended up abandoned under a drift of snow.

Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2022

Verb

It also gets released as these aerosolized particles, which just drift on the wind or land in the water.

Maggie Chen, WIRED, 13 Sep. 2022 Russian hacking tools hijacked the drones of Ukrainian operators, who saw their aircraft drift away helplessly behind enemy lines.

John Hudson, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2022 While smoke appears mostly confined to the Oak Fire site, a smoky haze will drift northward into Northern California and Oregon over the next couple of days, Smerbeck said.

Ashley R. Williams, USA TODAY, 26 July 2022 Some will continue to squeeze out antibodies for the long term, while others drift about in quietude, ready to resume their defensive duties when they’re called upon again.

Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2021 Growth in the number of jobs advertised on platforms such as Indeed.com and LinkedIn is starting to drift down.

Kathryn Dill And Jemal R. Brinson, WSJ, 12 July 2022 In the water was a rod poking out of the surface, so that the ants would attach to it and their raft wouldn’t drift to the walls.

Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 June 2021 The 18-year-old helped his family tie down things in the yard in hopes that their belongings would not drift away.

Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News, 14 May 2021 Scientists have long thought that the seaweed’s spermatia simply drift wherever the current takes them, with only a slim chance of landing on a female seaweed’s reproductive organ.

Jack Tamisiea, Scientific American, 28 July 2022 See More

单词	drifters
释义	drift 1 of 2 noun ˈdrift plural drifts 1 a : the act of driving something along b : the flow or the velocity of the current of a river or ocean stream 2 : something driven, propelled, or urged along or drawn together in a clump by or as if by a natural agency: such as a : wind-driven snow, rain, cloud, dust, or smoke usually at or near the ground surface b(1) : a mass of matter (such as sand) deposited together by or as if by wind or water (2) : a helter-skelter accumulation c : drove, flock d : something (such as driftwood) washed ashore e : rock debris deposited by natural agents specifically : a deposit of clay, sand, gravel, and boulders transported by a glacier or by running water from a glacier 3 a : a general underlying design or tendency perceiving the drift of the government's policies b : the underlying meaning, import, or purport of what is spoken or written the drift of a conversation 4 : something (such as a tool) driven down upon or forced into a body 5 : the motion or action of drifting especially spatially and usually under external influence: such as a : the lateral motion of an aircraft due to air currents b : an easy moderate more or less steady flow or sweep along a spatial course c : a gradual shift in attitude, opinion, or position d : an aimless course especially : a forgoing of any attempt at direction or control e : a deviation from a true reproduction, representation, or reading especially : a gradual change in the zero reading of an instrument or in any quantitative characteristic that is supposed to remain constant f : a deliberate, controlled skid by a vehicle turning through a corner at high speed : an instance of automotive drifting Backing off the throttle on corner entries induces a soupçon of oversteer, just enough to allow a little sliding at the apex in an easily controlled four-wheel drift, that most delightful of sports-car experiences—when it doesn't hurl one off a cliff. Tony Swan called also powerslide 6 a : a nearly horizontal mine passageway driven on or parallel to the course of a vein or rock stratum b : a small crosscut in a mine connecting two larger tunnels 7 a : an assumed trend toward a general change in the structure of a language over a period of time b : genetic drift 8 : a grouping of similar flowers planted in an elongated mass drifty ˈdrif-tē adjective drift 2 of 2 verb drifted; drifting; drifts intransitive verb 1 a : to become driven or carried along (as by a current of water, wind, or air) a balloon drifting in the wind b : to move or float smoothly and effortlessly 2 a : to move along a line of least resistance b : to move in a random or casual way c : to become carried along subject to no guidance or control the talk drifted from topic to topic 3 a : to accumulate in a mass or become piled up in heaps by wind or water drifting snow b : to become covered with a drift 4 : to vary or deviate from a set course or adjustment transitive verb 1 a : to cause to be driven in a current b Western US : to drive (livestock) slowly especially to allow grazing 2 a : to pile in heaps b : to cover with drifts driftingly ˈdrif-tiŋ-lē adverb Synonyms Noun bank bar mound Verb bowl breeze brush coast cruise flow glide roll sail skim slide slip stream sweep whisk See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Noun the slow drift of the clouds As she got older, you could observe a drift in her writing towards more serious subjects. the government's drift towards a centralization of power Verb The boat slowly drifted out to sea. The clouds drifted across the sky. The snow drifted against the side of the house. Drifting snow covered most of the car. The party guests drifted from room to room, eating and mingling. Her eyes drifted across the crowd. The conversation drifted from topic to topic. My thoughts drifted back to the time when we first met. After he left the army he just drifted for a few years. She drifted from job to job. See More Recent Examples on the Web Noun The car got onto US 422 westbound, at which point the officer saw the car drift between lanes. cleveland, 12 July 2022 One of the common challenges across NATO is the political drift from its core values, Lute said. Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 1 July 2022 But the drift away from target men may have its roots, too, in the race to industrialize talent production over much the same time period. New York Times, 17 June 2022 Let the club-face drift half an inch from perfect, and your ball may be in the woods. Daniel Henninger, WSJ, 15 June 2022 Travis Pastrana, who has taken over the helm of the Gymkhana YouTube series from Ken Block, has shown off his latest drift car, a 1983 Subaru GL wagon. Caleb Miller, Car and Driver, 20 Jan. 2022 Professional drivers drove the drift car and GT car and the participants were passengers. Chris Perkins, sun-sentinel.com, 11 Sep. 2021 For adults who want the thrill of a race car that's capable of handing slides around bends, this drift car from Redcat Racing is an excellent choice. Rachel Klein, Popular Mechanics, 4 Aug. 2022 From there, friends, family, and authorities began piecing together the fragments of Little’s legacy and how, exactly, the freewheeling musician’s bones ended up abandoned under a drift of snow. Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2022 Verb It also gets released as these aerosolized particles, which just drift on the wind or land in the water. Maggie Chen, WIRED, 13 Sep. 2022 Russian hacking tools hijacked the drones of Ukrainian operators, who saw their aircraft drift away helplessly behind enemy lines. John Hudson, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2022 While smoke appears mostly confined to the Oak Fire site, a smoky haze will drift northward into Northern California and Oregon over the next couple of days, Smerbeck said. Ashley R. Williams, USA TODAY, 26 July 2022 Some will continue to squeeze out antibodies for the long term, while others drift about in quietude, ready to resume their defensive duties when they’re called upon again. Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2021 Growth in the number of jobs advertised on platforms such as Indeed.com and LinkedIn is starting to drift down. Kathryn Dill And Jemal R. Brinson, WSJ, 12 July 2022 In the water was a rod poking out of the surface, so that the ants would attach to it and their raft wouldn’t drift to the walls. Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 June 2021 The 18-year-old helped his family tie down things in the yard in hopes that their belongings would not drift away. Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News, 14 May 2021 Scientists have long thought that the seaweed’s spermatia simply drift wherever the current takes them, with only a slim chance of landing on a female seaweed’s reproductive organ. Jack Tamisiea, Scientific American, 28 July 2022 See More Word History Etymology Noun Middle English; akin to Old English drīfan to drive — more at drive First Known Use Noun 14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Verb circa 1600, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 3a Phrases Containing drift catch one's drift continental drift drift off drift fence catch someone's drift get someone's drift genetic drift population drift drift net catch one's drift continental drift drift off drift fence catch someone's drift get someone's drift genetic drift population drift drift net See More Kids Definition drift 1 of 2 noun ˈdrift 1 : the slow movement of something carried by wind or water 2 : a pile of something that has been blown by the wind a drift of snow 3 : a course something appears to be taking the drift of the conversation 4 : the meaning of something said or implied I don't get your drift. drift 2 of 2 verb drifted; drifting 1 : to move slowly on wind or water 2 : to be piled up by wind or water drifting sand 3 : to move along or change without effort or purpose She drifts from job to job. He drifted in and out of sleep. Medical Definition drift noun ˈdrift 1 : movement of a tooth in the dental arch 2 : genetic drift drifters noun plural of drifter as in gypsies a person who roams about without a fixed route or destination the drifter just packed up and moved on to the next dead-end job Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance gypsies wanderers nomads travelers vagabonds roamers wayfarers travellers hobos rovers ramblers birds of passage stragglers knockabouts hoboes sojourners loiterers maunderers gadabouts lingerers migrants strollers passengers tramps laggards vagrants transients bums sightseers amblers saunterers Antonyms & Near Antonyms residents inhabitants dwellers settlers denizens homebodies habitants See More
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drift

noun

verb

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing drift

Kids Definition

noun

verb

Medical Definition

noun

noun