What is "drove"

Drive \Drive\ (dr[imac]v), v. t. [imp. Drove (dr[=o]v), formerly Drave (dr[=a]v); p. p. Driven (dr[i^]v'n); p. pr. & vb. n. Driving.] [AS. dr[=i]fan; akin to OS. dr[=i]ban, D. drijven, OHG. tr[=i]ban, G. treiben, Icel. dr[=i]fa, Goth. dreiban. Cf. Drift, Drove.]

1. To impel or urge onward by force in a direction away from one, or along before one; to push forward; to compel to move on; to communicate motion to; as, to drive cattle; to drive a nail; smoke drives persons from a room.

   A storm came on and drove them into Pylos.
   --Jowett (Thucyd. ).

   Shield pressed on shield, and man drove man along.
   --Pope.

   Go drive the deer and drag the finny prey.
   --Pope.

2. To urge on and direct the motions of, as the beasts which draw a vehicle, or the vehicle borne by them; hence, also, to take in a carriage; to convey in a vehicle drawn by beasts; as, to drive a pair of horses or a stage; to drive a person to his own door.

   How . . . proud he was to drive such a brother!
   --Thackeray.

3. To urge, impel, or hurry forward; to force; to constrain; to urge, press, or bring to a point or state; as, to drive a person by necessity, by persuasion, by force of circumstances, by argument, and the like. `` Enough to drive one mad.''
   --Tennyson.

   He, driven to dismount, threatened, if I did not do the like, to do as much for my horse as fortune had done for his.
   --Sir P. Sidney.

4. To carry or; to keep in motion; to conduct; to prosecute. [Now used only colloquially.]
   --Bacon.

   The trade of life can not be driven without partners.
   --Collier.

5. To clear, by forcing away what is contained.

   To drive the country, force the swains away.
   --Dryden.

6. (Mining) To dig Horizontally; to cut a horizontal gallery or tunnel.
   --Tomlinson.

7. To pass away; -- said of time. [Obs.]
   --Chaucer.

8. Specif., in various games, as tennis, baseball, etc., to propel (the ball) swiftly by a direct stroke or forcible throw.

9. to operate (a vehicle) while it is on motion, by manipulating the controls, such as the steering, propulsion, and braking mechanisms.

Drove \Drove\, v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Droved; p. pr. & vb. n. Droving.] [Cf. Drove, n., and Drover.]

1. To drive, as cattle or sheep, esp. on long journeys; to follow the occupation of a drover.

   He's droving now with Conroy's sheep along the Castlereagh.
   --Paterson.

2. To finish, as stone, with a drove or drove chisel.

Drove \Drove\, imp. of Drive.

Drove \Drove\, n. [AS. dr[=a]f, fr. dr[=i]fan to drive. See Drive.]

1. A collection of cattle driven, or cattle collected for driving; a number of animals, as oxen, sheep, or swine, driven in a body.

2. Any collection of irrational animals, moving or driving forward; as, a finny drove.
   --Milton.

3. A crowd of people in motion.

   Where droves, as at a city gate, may pass.
   --Dryden.

4. A road for driving cattle; a driftway. [Eng.]

5. (Agric.) A narrow drain or channel used in the irrigation of land.
   --Simmonds.

6. (Masonry)

   1. A broad chisel used to bring stone to a nearly smooth surface; -- called also drove chisel.

   2. The grooved surface of stone finished by the drove chisel; -- called also drove work.

Old English draf "beasts driven in a body, road along which cattle are driven," originally "act of driving," from drifan "to drive" (see drive (v.)).

Old English draf, past tense and obsolete past participle of drive (v.).

Etymology 1 n. 1 A number of cattle driven to market or new pastures. 2 (context usually in the plural English) A large number of people on the move (literally or figuratively). 3 A road or track along which cattle are habitually driven. 4 A narrow drain or channel used in the irrigation of land. 5 A broad chisel used to bring stone to a nearly smooth surface. 6 The grooved surface of stone finished by the drove chisel. Etymology 2

vb. (en-simple past of: drive).

1. n. a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together

2. a moving crowd [syn: horde, swarm]

3. a stonemason's chisel with a broad edge for dressing stone [syn: drove chisel]

See drive

1. n. the act of applying force to propel something; "after reaching the desired velocity the drive is cut off" [syn: thrust, driving force]

2. a mechanism by which force or power is transmitted in a machine; "a variable speed drive permitted operation through a range of speeds"

3. 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" [syn: campaign, cause, crusade, movement, effort]

4. a road leading up to a private house; "they parked in the driveway" [syn: driveway, private road]

5. the trait of being highly motivated; "his drive and energy exhausted his co-workers"

6. hitting a golf ball off of a tee with a driver; "he sliced his drive out of bounds" [syn: driving]

7. the act of driving a herd of animals overland

8. a journey in a vehicle driven by someone else; "he took the family for a drive in his new car" [syn: ride]

9. a physiological state corresponding to a strong need or desire

10. (computer science) a device that writes data onto or reads data from a storage medium

11. a wide scenic road planted with trees; "the riverside drive offers many exciting scenic views" [syn: parkway]

12. (sports) a hard straight return (as in tennis or squash)

13. [also: drove, driven]

1. v. operate or control a vehicle; "drive a car or bus"; "Can you drive this four-wheel truck?"

2. travel or be transported in a vehicle; "We drove to the university every morning"; "They motored to London for the theater" [syn: motor]

3. cause someone or something to move by driving; "She drove me to school every day"; "We drove the car to the garage"

4. force into or from an action or state, either physically or metaphorically; "She rammed her mind into focus"; "He drives me mad" [syn: force, ram]

5. to compel or force or urge relentlessly or exert coercive pressure on, or motivate strongly; "She is driven by her passion"

6. cause to move back by force or influence; "repel the enemy"; "push back the urge to smoke"; "beat back the invaders" [syn: repel, repulse, force back, push back, beat back] [ant: attract]

7. compel somebody to do something, often against his own will or judgment; "She finally drove him to change jobs"

8. push, propel, or press with force; "Drive a nail into the wall"

9. cause to move rapidly by striking or throwing with force; "drive the ball far out into the field"

10. strive and make an effort to reach a goal; "She tugged for years to make a decent living"; "We have to push a little to make the deadline!"; "She is driving away at her doctoral thesis" [syn: tug, labor, labour, push]

11. move into a desired direction of discourse; "What are you driving at?" [syn: get, aim]

12. have certain properties when driven; "This car rides smoothly"; "My new truck drives well" [syn: ride]

13. work as a driver; "He drives a bread truck"; "She drives for the taxi company in Newark"

14. move by being propelled by a force; "The car drove around the corner"

15. urge forward; "drive the cows into the barn"

16. proceed along in a vehicle; "We drive the turnpike to work" [syn: take]

17. strike with a driver, as in teeing off; "drive a golfball"

18. hit very hard and straight with the bat swinging more or less vertically; "drive a ball"

19. excavate horizontally; "drive a tunnel"

20. 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"

21. hunting: search for game; "drive the forest"

22. hunting: chase from cover into more open ground; "drive the game"

23. [also: drove, driven]