Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [drift]
- /drɪft/
- /drɪft/
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [drift]
- /drɪft/
Definitions of drift word
- noun drift a driving movement or force; impulse; impetus; pressure. 1
- noun drift Navigation. (of a ship) the component of the movement that is due to the force of wind and currents. 1
- noun drift Oceanography. a broad, shallow ocean current that advances at the rate of 10 to 15 miles (16 to 24 km) a day. 1
- noun drift Nautical. the flow or the speed in knots of an ocean current. the distance between the end of a rope and the part in use. the distance between two blocks in a tackle. the difference in diameter between two parts, one of which fits within the other, as a mast and its mast hoops, or a treenail and its hole. 1
- noun drift Aeronautics. the deviation of an aircraft from a set course due to cross winds. 1
- noun drift the course along which something moves; tendency; aim: The drift of political events after the war was toward chaos. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of drift
First appearance:
before 1250 One of the 11% oldest English words
1250-1300; Middle English drift, noun derivative of Old English drīfan to drive; cognate with Dutch drift “herd, flock,” German Trift “herd, pasturage, road to pasture”
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Drift
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
drift popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 95% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
drift usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for drift
verb drift
- hover — to hang fluttering or suspended in the air: The helicopter hovered over the building.
- stray — to deviate from the direct course, leave the proper place, or go beyond the proper limits, especially without a fixed course or purpose; ramble: to stray from the main road.
- linger — to remain or stay on in a place longer than is usual or expected, as if from reluctance to leave: We lingered awhile after the party.
- dance — If you dance a particular kind of dance, you do it or perform it.
- flit — to move lightly and swiftly; fly, dart, or skim along: bees flitting from flower to flower.
noun drift
- gist — the main or essential part of a matter: What was the gist of his speech?
- meaning — what is intended to be, or actually is, expressed or indicated; signification; import: the three meanings of a word.
- point — a fraction whose denominator is some power of 10, usually indicated by a dot (decimal point or point) written before the numerator: as 0.4 = 4/10; 0.126 = 126/1000.
- sense — any of the faculties, as sight, hearing, smell, taste, or touch, by which humans and animals perceive stimuli originating from outside or inside the body: My sense of smell tells me that dinner is ready.
- idea — any conception existing in the mind as a result of mental understanding, awareness, or activity.
Antonyms for drift
verb drift
- disperse — to drive or send off in various directions; scatter: to disperse a crowd.
- scatter — to throw loosely about; distribute at irregular intervals: to scatter seeds.
- decide — If you decide to do something, you choose to do it, usually after you have thought carefully about the other possibilities.
- guide — to assist (a person) to travel through, or reach a destination in, an unfamiliar area, as by accompanying or giving directions to the person: He guided us through the forest.
- stay — (of a ship) to change to the other tack.
noun drift
- ditch — a long, narrow excavation made in the ground by digging, as for draining or irrigating land; trench.
- individual — a single human being, as distinguished from a group.
- one — being or amounting to a single unit or individual or entire thing, item, or object rather than two or more; a single: one woman; one nation; one piece of cake.
- valley — an elongated depression between uplands, hills, or mountains, especially one following the course of a stream.
- whole — comprising the full quantity, amount, extent, number, etc., without diminution or exception; entire, full, or total: He ate the whole pie. They ran the whole distance.
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