—drive /draɪv/
noun (POWER)
C1 [U] energy and determination to achieve things:
» We are looking for someone with drive and ambition.» [+ to infinitive] He has the drive to succeed.» Later on in life the sex drive tends to diminish.Thesaurus+: ↑Motives and reasonsThesaurus+: ↑Feelings of desireF0 [C] (in sport, especially golf) a powerful hit that sends a ball a long way
Thesaurus+: ↑GolfThesaurus+: ↑Cricket , ↑General terms used in ball sportsnoun (ROAD)
F0 [C] (ALSO driveway) a short private road that leads from a public road to a house:
» I parked in the drive.Thesaurus+: ↑ParkingThesaurus+: ↑Urban and residential streetsF0 [C] used in the names of some roads, especially roads containing houses:
» 12 Cotswold DriveThesaurus+: ↑Urban and residential streetsnoun (VEHICLE)
B1 [C] a journey in a car:
» It's a long drive from Glasgow to London.» Shall we go for a drive this afternoon?Thesaurus+: ↑JourneysF0 [U] the system used to power a vehicle:
» a car with left-hand/right-hand drive (= in which the driver sits in the seat on the left/right).» a four-wheel drive vehicleThesaurus+: ↑The engine and engine parts , ↑Engines and motorsWord Builder:–Nouns: drive, driver, driving–Adjectives: driving–Verbs: drivenoun [C] (COMPUTING)
► B1 a device for storing computer information: » a hard drive» a DVD drive» a CD driveSee picture: CD-ROM/DVD drive 
Thesaurus+: ↑Computer hardware
noun [C] (PLANNED EFFORT)
► F0 a planned effort to achieve something: » The latest promotional material is all part of a recruitment drive.» I'm meant to be on an economy drive at the moment, so I'm trying not to spend too much.Thesaurus+: ↑Trying and making an effort , ↑Effort and expending energyverb (drove, driven) (FORCE) ↑Verb Endings for drive
C1 [T] to force someone or something to go somewhere or do something:
» They used dogs to drive the sheep into a pen.» A post had been driven (= hit hard) into the ground near the tree.» By the end of the year, most of the occupying troops had been driven from the city.» [+ to infinitive] In the end, it was his violent behaviour that drove her to leave home.Thesaurus+: ↑Causing somebody to act , ↑Urging and persuadingThesaurus+: ↑Pushing and shovingC1 [T] to force someone or something into a particular state, often an unpleasant one:
» In the course of history, love has driven men and women to strange extremes.» For the second time in ten years, the government has driven the economy into recession.Thesaurus+: ↑Causing somebody to act , ↑Urging and persuadingThesaurus+: ↑Pushing and shovingdrive sb mad, crazy, etc. B2 INFORMALF0 to make someone extremely annoyed:
» My mother-in-law has been staying with us this past week and she's driving me crazy.» He leaves dirty clothes all over the floor and it's driving me mad.Thesaurus+: ↑Causing feelings of anger and displeasuredrive sb wild INFORMALF0 to make you very excited, especially sexually:
» When he runs his fingers through my hair, it drives me wild!Thesaurus+: ↑Sexual attraction , ↑AttractiveThesaurus+: ↑Making people excited and interested , ↑Inspiration and inspiring• • •
Extra Examples:» Extreme stress had driven him to the brink of a nervous breakdown.» His family could not understand how this quiet, well-adjusted man could have been driven to this terrible deed.» Self-hatred apparently drove her to mutilate her own face.» Her husband's violent and abusive behaviour drove her to the verge of despair.» She had her demons and, later in life, they drove her to drink.verb (drove, driven) (PROVIDE POWER) ↑Verb Endings for drive
C2 [T] to provide the power to keep a machine working, or to make something happen:
» The engine drives the wheels.» Water drives the turbines that produce electricity.Thesaurus+: ↑Machinery and machines , ↑Household equipment and domestic choresF0 [T] If you drive a ball, especially in golf, you hit it hard so that it travels a long way:
» Slater drove the ball down the fairway.Thesaurus+: ↑Hitting and beating , ↑Punishing by causing painverb (drove, driven) (USE VEHICLE) ↑Verb Endings for drive
A1 [I or T] to move or travel on land in a motor vehicle, especially as the person controlling the vehicle's movement:
» I'm learning to drive.» "Are you going by train?" "No, I'm driving."» She drives a red sports car.» They're driving to Scotland on Tuesday.» We saw their car outside the house and drove on/past/away.» I drove my daughter to school.→ COMPARE RIDE(Cf. ↑ride) verbThesaurus+: ↑Driving and operating road vehiclesdriving while intoxicated (ABBREVIATION DWI) US LEGALF0 the crime of operating a motor vehicle after having drunk more alcohol than you are legally allowed to:
» Smith was arrested and charged with DWI.Thesaurus+: ↑Driving and operating road vehiclesThesaurus+: ↑Crime - general wordsThesaurus+: ↑Drunkenness and sobrietyWord Builder:–Nouns: drive, driver, driving–Adjectives: driving–Verbs: drive• • •
Extra Examples:» I asked him to drive more slowly, but he didn't take any notice.» The police fined her for driving through a red light.» The police spotted him driving a stolen car.» We drove along a narrow, bumpy road.» She drives the kids to school every morning.