drive verb - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

TOP

Definition of drive verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

drive

verb

/draɪv/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they drive	/draɪv/ /draɪv/
he / she / it drives	/draɪvz/ /draɪvz/
past simple drove	/drəʊv/ /drəʊv/
past participle driven	/ˈdrɪvn/ /ˈdrɪvn/
-ing form driving	/ˈdraɪvɪŋ/ /ˈdraɪvɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

jump to other results

vehicle

[intransitive, transitive] to operate a vehicle so that it goes in a particular direction

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?
drive something to drive a car/vehicle/truck/bus
He drives a taxi (= that is his job).

see also fly-drive

Collocations DrivingDrivingHaving a car

have/own/(British English) run a car
ride a motorcycle/motorbike
drive/prefer/use an automatic/a manual/(North American English, informal) a stick shift
have/get your car serviced/fixed/repaired
buy/sell a used car/(especially British English) a second-hand car
take/pass/fail a (British English) driving test/(both North American English) driver’s test/road test
get/obtain/have/lose/carry a/your (British English) driving licence/(North American English) driver’s license

Driving

put on/fasten/(North American English) buckle/wear/undo your seat belt/safety belt
put/turn/leave the key in the ignition
start the car/engine
(British English) change/(North American English) shift/put something into gear
press/put your foot on the brake pedal/clutch/accelerator
release the clutch/(especially British English) the handbrake/(both North American English) the emergency brake/the parking brake
drive/park/reverse the car
(British English) indicate left/right
(especially North American English) signal that you are turning left/right
take/miss (British English) the turning/(especially North American English) the turn
apply/hit/slam on the brake(s)
beep/honk/(especially British English) toot/(British English) sound your horn

Problems and accidents

a car skids/crashes (into something)/collides (with something)
swerve to avoid an oncoming car/a pedestrian
crash/lose control of the car
have/be in/be killed in/survive a car crash/a car accident/(North American English) a car wreck/a hit-and-run
be run over/knocked down by a car/bus/truck
dent/hit (British English) the bonnet/(North American English) the hood
break/crack/shatter (British English) the windscreen/(North American English) the windshield
blow/(especially British English) burst/puncture (British English) a tyre/(North American English) a tire
get/have (British English) a flat tyre/a flat tire/a puncture
inflate/change/fit/replace/check a tyre/tire

Traffic and driving regulations

be caught in/get stuck in/sit in a traffic jam
cause congestion/tailbacks/traffic jams/gridlock
experience/face lengthy delays
beat/avoid the traffic/the rush hour
break/observe/(North American English) drive the speed limit
be caught on (British English) a speed camera
stop somebody for/pull somebody over for/(British English, informal) be done for speeding
(both informal) run/(British English) jump a red light/the lights
be arrested for/charged with (British English) drink-driving/(both US English) driving under the influence (DUI)/driving while intoxicated (DWI)
be banned/(British English) disqualified from driving

Extra Examples

He was arrested for driving recklessly.
She drove quickly back to the office.
We drove from Quebec to Ottawa.
We must have driven over 600 kilometres today.
Driving lessons can be expensive.
We drove the rest of the way in silence.
Have you ever driven a racing car?
I learned to drive when I was 25.
They run a driving school in Birmingham.
Be sure not to drink and drive (= drive when you have drunk alcohol).
a ban on texting and driving
to drive home/north
to drive safely

Topics Transport by car or lorrya1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

fast
quickly
slowly
…

preposition

down
from
to
…

phrases

drink and drive

See full entry

Take your English to the next level

The Oxford Learner’s Thesaurus explains the difference between groups of similar words. Try it for free as part of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app

[transitive] to take somebody somewhere in a car, taxi, etc.

drive somebody + adv./prep. Could you drive me home?
My mother drove us to the airport.
They were driven to an unknown place in the hills.
drive somebody I don't want to take the bus. Will you drive me?

Synonyms taketakelead ▪ escort ▪ drive ▪ show ▪ walk ▪ guide ▪ usher ▪ directThese words all mean to go with somebody from one place to another.take to go with somebody from one place to another, for example in order to show them something or to show them the way to a place:

It’s too far to walk—I’ll take you by car.

lead to go with or go in front of somebody in order to show them the way or to make them go in the right direction:

Firefighters led the survivors to safety.

escort to go with somebody in order to protect or guard them or to show them the way:

The President arrived, escorted by twelve bodyguards.

drive to take somebody somewhere in a car, taxi, etc:

My mother drove us to the airport.

show to take somebody to a particular place, in the right direction, or along the correct route:

The attendant showed us to our seats.

walk to go somewhere with somebody on foot, especially in order to make sure that they get there safely; to take an animal, especially a dog, for a walk or make an animal walk somewhere:

He always walked her home.
Have you walked the dog yet today?

guide to show somebody the way to a place, often by going with them; to show somebody a place that you know well:

She guided us through the busy streets.
We were guided around the museums.

usher (rather formal) to politely take or show somebody where they should go, especially within a building:

She ushered her guests to their seats.

direct (rather formal) to tell or show somebody how to get somewhere or where to go:

A young woman directed them to the station.

Patterns

to take/lead/escort/drive/show/walk/guide/usher/direct somebody to/out of/into something
to take/lead/escort/drive/show/walk/guide somebody around/round
to take/lead/escort/drive/walk somebody home
to take/lead/escort/guide somebody to safety
to lead/show the way

Topics Transport by car or lorrya2

[intransitive] + adv./prep. (of a vehicle) to travel under the control of a driver

A stream of black cars drove by.
A car drove up to us and a man got out.

[transitive] drive something to own or use a particular type of vehicle

What car do you drive?
You need a special licence to drive a heavy goods vehicle.

Topics Transport by car or lorrya2

make somebody do something

[transitive] to make somebody very angry, crazy, etc. or to make them do something extreme

drive somebody + adj. to drive somebody crazy/mad/nuts/insane
drive somebody to do something Hunger drove her to steal.
drive somebody to something Those kids are driving me to despair.

Extra Examples

The website was extremely slow, driving many users to distraction.
The situation has become so desperate that many are driven to suicide.
The destruction of the rainforest may drive certain species to extinction.

[transitive] to force somebody to act in a particular way

drive somebody + adv./prep. The urge to survive drove them on.
drive yourself + adv./prep. You're driving yourself too hard.
be driven by something He was driven by the desire to understand how things work.
The work is driven by the need for information sharing.

machine

[transitive] drive something to provide the power that makes a machine work; to operate a device

a steam-driven locomotive
The interface can be used to drive a printer.

make somebody/something move

[transitive] drive somebody/something + adv./prep. to force somebody/something to move in a particular direction

to drive sheep into a field
The enemy was driven back.

cause something to make progress

[transitive] drive something to influence something or cause it to make progress

This is the main factor driving investment in the area.
A key factor driving growth was the launch of convenient products.
The dairy products market will also be driven by consumer demand.

hit/push

[transitive] drive something + adv./prep. to force something 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

Extra Examples

He took a wooden peg and drove it into the ground.
The knife had been driven through his heart.

make a hole

[transitive] drive something + adv./prep. to make an opening in or through something by using force

They drove a tunnel through the solid rock.

in sport

[transitive, intransitive] drive (something) (+ adv./prep.) to hit a ball with force, sending it forward

to drive the ball into the rough (= in golf)

wind/water

[transitive] drive something (+ adv./prep.) to carry something along

Huge waves drove the yacht onto the rocks.

[intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) to fall or move rapidly and with great force

The waves drove against the shore.

Word OriginOld English drīfan ‘urge (a person or animal) to go forward’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch drijven and German treiben.

Idioms

as clean, pure, etc. as the driven snow

extremely clean, pure, etc.

drive a coach and horses through something

to cause something to fail, for example a plan

drive/strike a hard bargain

to argue in an aggressive way and force somebody to agree on the best possible price or arrangementTopics Discussion and agreementc2

drive something home (to somebody)

to make somebody understand or accept something by saying it often, loudly, angrily, etc.
- You will really need to drive your point home.

drive somebody to drink

to make somebody so worried, annoyed or upset that they lose control of their behaviour, especially by drinking too much alcohol
- The stress drove her to drink and put a strain on her marriage.
- (humorous) Dragging kids through airports is enough to drive you to drink.

drive a wedge between A and B

to make two people start disliking each other
- I don't want to drive a wedge between the two of you.
- This was just one of the issues that drove a wedge between them.

run/drive/work yourself into the ground

to work so hard that you become extremely tired

what somebody is driving at

(informal) the thing somebody is trying to say
- I wish I knew what they were driving at.

See drive in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee drive in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English

Check pronunciation: drive

Other results

All matches

Phrasal verbs

Idioms

Nearby words

apron

noun

From the Topic

Clothes and fashion

Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day