verb

drives

to drive, to operate, to motivate

He drives a red car.

He drives a red car.

Ambition drives her to succeed.

Ambition drives her to succeed.

She drives a hard bargain.

She drives a hard bargain.

((sth.)) to operate (a vehicle) He drives a red car.

((sb.)) ((to-inf)) to motivate (sb.) to do (sth.) Ambition drives her to succeed.

to drive a hard bargain to negotiate intensely She drives a hard bargain.

Synonyms: operate, steer, pilot (for vehicle); motivate, compel, impel (for motivation)

From Old English 'drīfan', meaning 'to compel to move, to hunt'. The sense of controlling a vehicle came later.

Imagine 'driving' a car forward, then apply that idea of forward motion to people's motivations or actions.

This page is designed for learning support. Please use it as a learning reference, not as a formal reference.