From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishthe drift (of something)the drift (of something)MEANINGthe general meaning of what someone is saying So what’s the drift of the argument?follow/get/catch somebody’s drift (=understand the general meaning of what someone is saying) She didn’t quite get my drift, did she? → drift
Examples from the Corpus
the drift (of something)• Above all the drift to a self-seeking, self-satisfying, self-fulfilling approach to relationships is where the rot is really setting in.• Right from Huntington Beach, if you catch the drift.• Having the drift right is the essence of missing the point altogether.• In another hour, the drifts would be too deep to walk through.• For short periods the dominant direction of the drift may be reversed by abnormal wind conditions.• He was breathing, but his leg was a mess, must have been hit on the drift down.• The seminar also called on governments to support small farmers, in order to help reduce the drift to the cities.• He turned and ran, along the ride, up the drift, not looking back. 