drift
/dɹɪft/noun, verb1 syllable
Drift means: move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment.
Synonyms for drift26
noun, as in a force that moves something along
noun, as in the pervading meaning or tenor
verb, as in move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
verb, as in wander from a direct course or at random
verb, as in live unhurriedly, irresponsibly, or freely
verb, as in move in an unhurried fashion
What does drift mean?17
verb
move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment“The gypsies roamed the woods”
wander from a direct course or at random“The child strayed from the path and her parents lost sight of her”
be in motion due to some air or water current“The leaves were blowing in the wind”
cause to be carried by a current“drift the boats downstream”
live unhurriedly, irresponsibly, or freely“My son drifted around for years in California before going to law school”
move in an unhurried fashion“The unknown young man drifted among the invited guests”
vary or move from a fixed point or course“stock prices are drifting higher”
drive slowly and far afield for grazing“drift the cattle herds westwards”
be subject to fluctuation“The stock market drifted upward”
be piled up in banks or heaps by the force of wind or a current“snow drifting several feet high”
noun
a force that moves something along
a general tendency to change (as of opinion)“not openly liberal but that is the trend of the book”
a horizontal (or nearly horizontal) passageway in a mine“they dug a drift parallel with the vein”
the pervading meaning or tenor“caught the general drift of the conversation”
the gradual departure from an intended course due to external influences (as a ship or plane)
a process of linguistic change over a period of time
a large mass of material that is heaped up by the wind or by water currents
Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
What rhymes with drift?8
Drift in a sentence
- In silence, our hearts seem to drift apart.Nuel
- I'm going to the secret room, if you catch my drift.Siria
- Sitting in his armchair, he let his thoughts drift towards the future.sundown
- In the peace of the bathroom, he let his thoughts drift away.Nuel
- Over the years, their once strong bond began to drift apart.LoverofEnglish
- In the spring, the ice drift accelerated significantly.AlanF_US
- In the spring, the ice drifted significantly faster.AlanF_US
- Many people drift through life without a purpose.papabear
Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.
Forms of drift
as a noun
- plural
- drifts
as a verb
- past tense
- drifted
- present participle
- drifting
- third-person singular
- drifts
- past participle
- drifted