the act of applying force to propel something
"after reaching the desired velocity the drive is cut off"
a mechanism by which force or power is transmitted in a machine
"a variable speed drive permitted operation through a range of speeds"
a series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a particular end
"he supported populist campaigns"
"they worked in the cause of world peace"
"the team was ready for a drive toward the pennant"
"the movement to end slavery"
"contributed to the war effort"
the act of driving a herd of animals overland
"The shepherds will drive their sheep across the valley to find fresh grazing land before winter arrives."
a physiological state corresponding to a strong need or desire
"The intense drive for success kept him working late into the night despite his exhaustion."
(computer science) a device that writes data onto or reads data from a storage medium
"The technician replaced the faulty drive because it failed to read any files from the old hard disk."
(sports) a hard straight return (as in tennis or squash)
"Her powerful drive across the net left the opponent with no chance to return the ball."
Motivation to do or achieve something; ability coupled with ambition.
"Her relentless drive pushed her to launch three successful startups before she turned thirty."
In plain English: A drive is an inner urge to do something important or achieve a goal.
"The heavy rain was the main drive behind our decision to stay inside all day."
Usage: Use drive as a noun to describe a person's strong internal motivation or ambition to achieve specific goals. It refers to the energy that pushes someone forward rather than simply traveling in a vehicle.
cause someone or something to move by driving
"She drove me to school every day"
"We drove the car to the garage"
to compel or force or urge relentlessly or exert coercive pressure on, or motivate strongly
"She is driven by her passion"
compel somebody to do something, often against his own will or judgment
"She finally drove him to change jobs"
cause to move rapidly by striking or throwing with force
"drive the ball far out into the field"
cause to function by supplying the force or power for or by controlling
"The amplifier drives the tube"
"steam drives the engines"
"this device drives the disks for the computer"
To provide an impetus for motion or other physical change, to move an object by means of the provision of force thereto.
"The heavy rain drove the small boat off its mooring and into deeper water."
In plain English: To drive means to operate and control a vehicle by steering it with your hands on the wheel.
"I drive to work every day in my car."
Usage: Use "drive" when describing the act of operating a vehicle or compelling something forward through force, such as driving a car or driving a nail into wood. Avoid using it simply to mean moving quickly, which is better expressed with "rush" or "speed."
Drive comes from the Old English word drīfan, which originally meant to force or move something. The term has retained its core meaning of propelling an object or animal forward since entering Middle English.