DROVE Synonyms: 305 Similar and Opposite Words

drove 1 of 2

noun

ˈdrōv

Definition of drove

as in flock

a great number of persons or creatures massed together people flocked to the annual festival in droves

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as in swarm

a group of domestic animals assembled or herded together a drove of cattle

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drove

2 of 2

verb

past tense of drive

as in ran

to urge, push, or force onward cowboys drove the herd of cattle from San Antonio to San Francisco

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as in rode

to travel by a motorized vehicle I'm going to drive across the country—want to come?

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as in pushed

to apply force to (someone or something) so that it moves in front of one drove the plunger into the opening

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as in forced

to cause (a person) to give in to pressure the corrupt governor was driven out of office

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in triggered

to cause to function machinery driven by waterpower

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as in moved

to set or keep in motion this motor drives the gears, which then turn the shaft

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as in sped

to proceed or move quickly the runner drove past the finish line and then came to a dead stop

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of drove

Noun

As a second trooper who was nearby drove toward the shooting, the man passed him while heading in the opposite direction and opened fire, hitting the second trooper, Packard said. — Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 25 Aug. 2026 The combined success of these blockbusters — not to mention the droves of smaller-scale films doing their part — has helped vault the domestic box office back to numbers many prognosticators thought were ancient history. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Aug. 2026

Verb

After writing up our game stories for the 49ers’ playoff win in Green Bay in January 2014, Matt Maiocco and I hopped in a rental car at midnight and drove to Chicago for a flight later that morning. — Matt Barrows, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026 John Peck drove in three runs with the first two hits of his career, and Hao-Yu Lee, Riley Greene and Max Clark added RBIs. — ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for drove

Recent Examples of Synonyms for drove

Noun

The band had already been in talks with the more pyrotechnically minded Joe Walsh for months, slowly bringing him into the flock with a guest spot at Wembley Stadium.

— Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Aug. 2026
Drivers honked, pedestrians took photographs, and a flock of Waymos stopped and started repeatedly, their algorithms seemingly flummoxed.

— Nicola Twilley, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of flock

Verb

Junior quarterback Aaron McCormack, who is the coach’s son and ran for a touchdown and threw a touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Justin Slaven, is among the teammates who quickly came to appreciate Harris’ talents.

— Michael Osipoff, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026
The business advocacy group that ran the campaign also denied that AI was used.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of ran

Verb

The two ended up walking away laughing, and Luiz’s grin rode right into the next conversation, drill or interaction with anyone on the field.

— Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2026
The employees attended Vance's speech at the steel plant, where his grandfather worked as a welder for nearly 40 years, and rode in the vice president's motorcade.

— Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of rode

Verb

The threat of shortages pushed countries across Asia to impose export bans, cut import duties, and start rationing fuel to maintain supplies.

— Katie Silver, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
The extreme heat pushed up air conditioning electricity demand, while heavy storms simultaneously dealt a blow to power supplies in parts of the country.

— , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of pushed

Verb

As more cars wrecked behind the incident, NASCAR was forced to throw the caution flag — freezing the field with Preece in front.

— Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Sometimes, operators were forced to drain one pond and divert its water to save fish in another, the Hungarian Aquaculture and Fisheries Inter-branch Organization said in early August.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of forced

Verb

While spoken language might benefit us in myriad ways, no single activity requires it, let alone explains what triggered its ongoing evolution over tens to hundreds of thousands of years.

— Mike McRae September 02, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
His remarks triggered fierce criticism and prompted Berlin artistic director Tricia Tuttle to publicly defend artists’ right to decide whether or not to speak on political issues.

— Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of triggered

Verb

Cameron moved up to the division earlier this year and defeated Michaela Kotaskova by unanimous decision in April to claim the vacant WBO title and become a two-weight world champion.

— Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Ragged, jagged or fluffy edges point to a Bristol Type 6 stool, meaning waste moved through the colon too fast for water to be absorbed properly.

— Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026