From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdrivedrive1 /draɪv/ ●●● S1 W1 verb (past tense drove /drəʊv $ droʊv/, past participle driven /ˈdrɪvən/) 1 OPERATE A VEHICLEvehicle a) [intransitive, transitive]TTC to make a car, truck, bus etc move alongdrive to/down/off etc I am planning to drive to Morocco next year. the man driving the car Can you drive? So when did you learn to drive? Bye! Drive carefully! He drives 12 miles to work. He drives (=has) a BMW estate. b) [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] if a car, truck etc drives somewhere, it moves there After the accident, the other car just drove off. c) TRAVEL SOMEWHERE[intransitive]TTC if people drive somewhere, they travel somewhere in a car Shall we drive or take the bus?drive to/down/off etc They drove back to Woodside. d) TAKE somebody SOMEWHERE[transitive always + adverb/preposition]TTC to take someone somewhere in a car, truck etc She drove Anna to London. I’ll drive you home.drive yourself I drove myself to hospital.2 FORCE somebody/somethingmake somebody move [transitive] to force a person or animal to go somewhere Torrential rain drove the players off the course. With a few loud whistles, they drove the donkeys out of the enclosure.3 FEELINGmake somebody do something [transitive] to strongly influence someone to do somethingdrive somebody to do something The detective wondered what had driven Christine to phone her.drive somebody to/into something The noises in my head have nearly driven me to suicide. Phil, driven by jealousy, started spying on his wife.4 make somebody/something be in a bad state [transitive] to make someone or something get into a bad or extreme state, usually an emotional onedrive somebody crazy/nuts/mad/insane (=make someone feel very annoyed) This cough is driving me mad!drive somebody crazy/wild (=make someone feel very sexually excited)drive somebody up the wall/out of their mind (=make someone feel very annoyed)drive somebody to distraction/desperation The mosquitoes drive me to distraction.drive somebody/something into something The factory had been driven into bankruptcy.5 HIThit/push something into something [transitive] to hit or push something into something elsedrive something into something We watched Dad drive the posts into the ground. She drove her heels into the sand. 6 make somebody work [transitive] to make a person or animal work harddrive yourself Don’t drive yourself too hard.7 sports [intransitive, transitive] a) to move a ball etc forward in a game of baseball, football, golf etc by hitting or kicking it hard and fast He drove the ball into the corner of the net. b) to run with the ball towards the goal in sports such as basketball and American football8 PROVIDE POWERprovide power [transitive]TP to provide the power for a vehicle or machinepetrol-driven/electrically-driven/battery-driven etc a petrol-driven lawn mower9 rain/wind etc [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] if rain, snow, wind etc drives somewhere, it moves very quickly in that direction The rain was driving down hard.10 → drive a coach and horses through something11 MAKE A HOLEmake a hole [transitive always + adverb/preposition]TI to make a large hole in something using heavy equipment or machinery They drove a tunnel through the mountains. 12 → drive something home13 → drive a wedge between somebody → drive/strike a hard bargain at hard1(18)COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 4: to make someone or something get into a bad or extreme state, usually an emotional onephrasesdrive somebody crazy/mad/insane spoken (also drive somebody nuts spoken informal) (=make someone feel very annoyed)The continuous noise was driving me crazy.drive somebody crazy/wild (=make someone feel very sexually excited)He drives women wild.drive somebody up the wall/round the bend/out of their mind spoken informal (=make someone feel very annoyed)That voice of hers drives me up the wall.drive somebody to distraction (=make someone feel very upset or annoyed)She was being driven to distraction by her husband’s bad habits.drive somebody to despair/desperation (=make someone despair)Escalating personal debts have driven many people to despair.drive somebody to drink (=make someone so annoyed or upset that they depend on alcohol)His problems had almost driven him to drink. → drive at something → drive somebody ↔ away → drive something ↔ down → drive somebody/something ↔ in → drive off → drive somebody/something ↔ out → drive something ↔ up→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
drive• On our trip to Florida, I drove 300 miles in one day.• "How are you going to get there?" "I'm driving."• "How do you get to work?" "I drive."• "What car do you drive?" "A Fiat Brava."• Jeff drives a green Volvo.• Driving a Rolls Royce into a swimming pool was one of the most dangerous stunts Crawford had to perform.• Several times they started to build a city, but they were always driven away by misfortunes or bad omens.• Gang activity has driven business away from downtown.• Drive carefully - the roads are very icy.• He drove her home, leaving her down the block but watching her to make sure she got in okay.• Her mother's continual nagging drove her into running away from home.• At the trial, she claimed that years of abuse from her violent husband had driven her to kill him.• She didn't really want to drive herself to the doctor, so I said I'd take her.• The Protestant yeomanry still rode around the countryside intent on driving home the lessons of 1798: Rebellion will be punished!• I'm learning to drive. In fact, I take my test next week.• He said he would drive me home.• Can you drive me to the airport next Friday?• My love of competition is what drives me.• She drove off without saying goodbye.• McGwire drove the ball into right field.• Drive the nail into the wall at a downward angle.• It swirled and howled, driving the sleet and snow towards him alone.• Many farmers claim that they have been driven to desperation by the latest blow to the industry.• They completely failed and were driven to policies of austerity before they even got started.• Jenny drove to the coast for the weekend.• I learned how to drive when I was fifteen.drive yourself• I'd like a trap or a gig, something light I could drive myself.• The coach, on loan from Stanford, has driven herself even harder than usual.• The celebration started with the Club's President, Valentine Fleming, driving himself in, after which the match commenced.• But don't drive yourself into the ground.• Treat others as you would yourself, but drive yourself like a stuck mule.• And they can drive themselves quite crazy.• The lumps are heavy but I drove myself till my arms cried out and the sweat runs down my back.drive somebody to distraction/desperation• And just like in the Kronenbourg ad she can't stop driving men to distraction.• Boredom and isolation were driving Polly to desperation.• He seeks to blackmail Headstone but succeeds only in driving the man to desperation.• His constant invasion of her privacy was driving her to distraction.• Or will his lack of ambition drive you to distraction?• They lived inside a person's body and wriggled about until their presence drove him to distraction.• Zoe talks her dad into letting her have driving lessons but she and Janine drive Garry to distraction. drive yourself• I'd like a trap or a gig, something light I could drive myself.• The coach, on loan from Stanford, has driven herself even harder than usual.• The celebration started with the Club's President, Valentine Fleming, driving himself in, after which the match commenced.• But don't drive yourself into the ground.• Treat others as you would yourself, but drive yourself like a stuck mule.• And they can drive themselves quite crazy.• The lumps are heavy but I drove myself till my arms cried out and the sweat runs down my back.drivedrive2 ●●● S2 W2 noun 1 IN A CARin a car [countable]TTC a journey in a cardrive to/along etc Let’s go for a drive along the coast. Taylor took me for a drive through the town.an hour’s/a two-hour etc drive It’s a two-hour drive from Calais to Thiepval.► see thesaurus at journey2 NATURAL NEEDnatural need [countable]HBH a strong natural need or desire The treatment will not affect your sex drive.3 OUTSIDE YOUR HOUSEoutside your house [countable]DH the hard area or road between your house and the street SYN drivewayin/on the drive He parked his car in the drive.4 A FIGHT FOR somethingeffort [countable]PPPSSO an effort to achieve something, especially an effort by an organization for a particular purpose a recruitment drive for new members an economy drive (=effort to reduce spending)drive to do something a nationwide drive to crack down on crime5 determination [uncountable]ENERGETIC determination and energy to succeed Brian has got tremendous drive. 6 POWERpower [uncountable]TTCTEM the power from an engine that makes the wheels of a vehicle go roundfront-wheel/rear-wheel/four-wheel drive7 computer [countable] a piece of equipment in a computer that is used to get information from a disk or to store information on ithard/floppy/A etc drive → disk drive8 SPORTsport [countable]DS an act of hitting a ball hard, especially in tennis, baseball, or golf He hit a long, high drive to right field.9 MILITARY ATTACKmilitary attack [countable]PM several military attacksdrive into a drive deep into enemy territory10 animals [countable] when animals such as cows or sheep are brought together and made to move in a particular direction11 → DriveExamples from the Corpus
drive• It's a beautiful day for a drive in the country.• The infantry made a drive deep into enemy territory.• Let's take a drive out to the farm.• Put your disk in the "A" drive and click on "save."• Brown was hired to lead a cattle drive north to the Canadian border.• The government's economy drive has failed to produce the expected savings.• As part of the bank's efficiency drive substantial cuts are being made in the workforce.• If you have a low-profile computer without a free drive bay, you may have no choice but to replace the original.• But where was the gear drive for the drill mechanism to come from?• Griffey hit a long, high drive to right field.• It's a two-hour drive to Hamilton from here.• He's clever enough, but he lacks drive.• She was found dead at her home in Maple Drive.• It's about a 20-minute drive into the city from here.• The beach is just a 20-minute drive from the city.• I needed to realign my life, it said, not just my putt or my drive.• We need a new drive for investment in Britain's inner cities.• The workers were laid off in July 1994 when Sprint abruptly closed the company amid a union organizing drive.• a scenic drive• George played the entire first quarter and started the first scoring drive, which Klingler finished.• The male sex drive is not necessarily stronger than the female.• The Health Department launched an anti-smoking drive.• Not much to look at, because the front lawn and the drive to the Manor were a shambles.• Bladder clenched, Thérèse limped down the drive behind her silent father.• Greg certainly has the drive to become a good lawyer.• The drive takes twelve hours in all.• The government must continue this drive to find new, cleaner forms of energy.• The pickup has four-wheel drive.took ... for a drive• He took them for drives, showing her the extraordinary beauties of Umbria.• Mrs Sargent was kind; she took them for drives in the car.sex drive• For many men, having a powerful sex drive is essential to their confidence.• These drugs may affect your sex drive. in/on the drive• A little before noon I heard his car in the drive, then the bell.• The average annual catch, mainly of striped dolphins, in the drive fisheries between 1975 and 1986 was 4734.• He invited you up the pitch to meet him on the drive.• Even inmates in Colorado prisons got in on the drive when Ross took envelopes to them to be addressed for mail solicitations.• In 1975, a record kill year, approximately 20,000 striped dolphins were killed in the drives.• Its real importance lies in the drive to refine the whole of physics into a single question.• I hope you are all well with exams safely over and not too much ice and snow on the drive.• He could hear a car drawing up on the drive outside.drive to do something• She is backing a drive to get more women top jobs.• It was looking for Camby to take the shot and simply watched Bright drive to the hoop for an easy layup.• Now she has joined the Breakthrough fundraising drive to build a research centre in London.• It will also move a program from one hard drive to another or from one computer to another.• One is the drive to allow retirees to earn more money without having their Social Security checks reduced.• Nevertheless the drive to achieve cuts even at the expense of standards has intensified.has ... drive• It has been checked on the dyno and Bertie has driven the car with the two management systems.• His brother has never driven a cab before either; this was going to be his first day.• By criminalizing physician-assisted suicide, the Supreme Court has driven a criminal wedge between the dying and their doctors.• This bus driver has driven us to the promised land.• He has driven in 74 runs, and he is batting. 512 in 82 at- bats with men in scoring position.• It seems that everyone in Sierra has been driven mad by the heat.• Each input-output tile has a 5mA drive capability and is not dedicated to a particular input-output pad.• If that happens, it will be Miller's ambition which has driven Hibs to another big occasion. front-wheel/rear-wheel/four-wheel drive• Hire a four-wheel drive vehicle - there are lots of off-the-beaten-track spots to discover.• The track soon becomes rocky and steep, but not too much of a challenge for a decent four-wheel drive.• Type: Front-engine, four-wheel drive, nine-passenger, full-size sport utility.• So why not fit four-wheel drive?• Three teams in 1969 raced four-wheel drive - Lotus, Tyrrell-Matra and who was the third?• She was an International Harvester Scout four-wheel drive.• I checked the four-wheel drive lever, eased off the brake and started forward.• Its name stands for recreational active vehicle with four-wheel drive and is priced for entry-level buyers.hard/floppy/A etc drive• There is an option to mount an additional 5.25inch floppy drive in a spare bay to the right.• An unscrupulous programmer could write an ActiveX program designed to erase a hard drive or deposit a virus.• Then he sat his boxed bear on the front seat beside him and went for a drive.• This is a drive to loiter over, a spot or series of spots to invest a fine day in.• I feel lousy when I have some terrific game to review and there's no space on my hard drive for it.• One answer to the problem is to add a second hard drive.• For a while, when hard drives were relatively small, you could back up your data on floppy disks.• It has a kind of cassette tape that stores the data from your hard drive.DriveDriveTTRused in the names of roads 141 Park Drive → driveFrom Longman Business Dictionarydrivedrive1 /draɪv/ verb (past tense drove /drəʊvdroʊv/, past participle driven /ˈdrɪvən/, present participle driving) drive a hard bargainCOMMERCE to succeed by arguing in a very determined way in making an agreement that is very much to your advantageSorrell drives a hard bargain and may not sell at all if he can’t get a suitable price. → drive something → down → drive something → up→ See Verb tabledrivedrive2 noun [countable]1a planned effort by an organization to achieve somethingThey have decided to sell some parts of the business in a drive to raise capital.The airlines will step up their recruitment drive for pilots in North America.2COMPUTING a part of a computer that reads information from a diskInsert the floppy disk into Drive A. → CD-ROM drive → disk drive → tape driveOrigin drive1 Old English drifan 