From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdriftdrift1 /drɪft/ ●●○ verb [intransitive] 1 TTWTTAmove slowly to move slowly on water or in the airdrift out/towards etc The rubber raft drifted out to sea. Smoke drifted up from the jungle ahead of us.2 without planTRAVEL to move, change, or do something without any plan or purposedrift around/along etc Jenni spent the year drifting around Europe.drift into I just drifted into teaching, really.drift away The others drifted away. Melanie stayed.drift from something to something The conversation drifted from one topic to another.let your gaze/eyes/thoughts/mind etc drift Idly she let her eyes drift over his desk.3 CHANGE/MAKE something DIFFERENTchange to gradually change from being in one condition, situation etc into another without realizing itdrift into She was just drifting into sleep when the alarm went off. He drifted in and out of consciousness.4 money/prices if values, prices, shares etc drift, they gradually change The dollar drifted lower against the yen today.5 DNsnow/sand if snow, sand etc drifts, the wind blows it into large piles6 → let something drift → drift apart → drift off→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
drift• Gradually they started drifting away to the main building to eat and sleep.• I walked at his side as if I were drunk, bumping into him, drifting crazily off.• They presently look like a team that could drift farther into oblivion each week.• All night Julie drifted in and out of consciousness.• We will pay special attention to the underlying social problems in high-crime areas, particularly to prevent young people drifting into crime.• It felt as though she'd drifted into some dreamlike watery paradise.• The smoke drifted lazily away to the westward, revealing to us the gray lines steadily advancing..• Ideas drifted quietly like falling petals into his mind.• A fine trail of dust dislodged from the door frame and drifted slowly to the ground.• Vargas Llosa's politics gradually drifted to the right.drift out/towards etc• Or sometimes, did not drift out?• She stepped aside into the doorway of the next room while Luch drifted out and down the stair.• Even the most saintly of people would drift towards complacency and arrogance after such a long period.• It would also be in line with the gradual drift towards fuel tax harmonisation across the Community.• Eventually we drift out into the leafy park behind the museum.• Louis music drifts out of clubs large and small throughout the city.• Twenty-four hours until kick-off and the hyperbole was drifting out of control.• Primo had drifted out of the conversation.let your gaze/eyes/thoughts/mind etc drift• Idly, he let his gaze drift across the horizon.• Frowning, she let her mind drift back to the events of two years ago.• Idly she let her eyes drift over his desk, over the orderly piles of papers and files arranged there.• Vass regarded her flushed face, then let his eyes drift slowly down the length of her slender, dressing-gown-clad figure.• He let his eyes drift up. drifting into sleep• He had lain in bed night after night drifting into sleep on a tide of euphoria.driftdrift2 ●○○ noun 1 SNOWsnow/sand [countable]DN a large pile of snow or sand that has been blown by the winddrift of The road is blocked with massive drifts of snow. a snow drift2 CHANGEchange [singular] a slow change or development from one situation, opinion etc to anotherdrift towards/to a drift towards longer working hours3 movement of peopleTRAVEL [singular, uncountable] a slow movement of large numbers of people that has not been planneddrift from/to/into the drift from the countryside to the cities4 → the drift (of something)5 SHIPships/planes [uncountable]TTW the movement of a ship or plane from its original direction because of the movement of the wind or water6 slow movement [uncountable] very slow movement, especially over water or through the airExamples from the Corpus
drift• The party has experienced a drift toward the right in the last two years.• The endless drift from the past to the future.• It was a complicated argument but I think I caught his drift.• High winds were becoming a problem, blowing snow into drifts 3 to 5 feet high in places.• All the roads to Denver were blocked by snow drifts.• His presidential hopes thus suffered a fatal blow in the snow drifts of New Hampshire.• Make sure that you correct the drift before touch down and then be prepared to prevent the swing into wind.• He was breathing, but his leg was a mess, must have been hit on the drift down.• The drifts were granulated and shrinking under my eyes.• The drift of his letter is that he wants to come back.• I follow your drift, but I just don't believe it.drift towards/to• He nodded slowly and she felt his gaze drift to the gold band on her wedding finger.• Then his usual calm came back, and he drifted to the door of the barn, hands in pockets.• He drifts to the sideboard and looks for something else.• But we are now drifting to the next stages of the methodology.• The smoke drifted to and fro among us.• Above all the drift to a self-seeking, self-satisfying, self-fulfilling approach to relationships is where the rot is really setting in.• But not the drift to the mainland for work for the young men.drift from/to/into• Looking carefully all about me, I drift into the carpark.• Adam blew the feather into the air and let it drift to the floor.• Morton drifted into the grand salon, which was teeming with people.• A piece of straw drifted to the ground.• The seminar also called on governments to support small farmers, in order to help reduce the drift to the cities.• Earth had begun to drift from the cross-wires; the radio antenna was no longer pointing toward its target.• We seemed to drift into tranquility once we reached the long plateau stretch on the high road to Taos.From Longman Business Dictionarydriftdrift1 /drɪft/ verb [intransitive] to go slowly up or down in value, without any particular directionLondon shares drifted in the absence of a statement from the Treasury.The dollar drifted lower against other major currencies in thin trading.The pound drifted down again yesterday.The Nasdaq Composite Index drifted higher throughout the session to close with a gain of 1.27%.→ See Verb tabledriftdrift2 noun [countable] a slow change or development from one situtation, opinion etc to anotherdrift to/towardsThe drift towards recession started when the slump in the service sector became as bad as the slump in manufacturing.Origin drift2 (1300-1400) Probably from Old Norse drift “pile of wind-blown snow”; related to drive 