drive

verb (FORCE)

/draɪv/ (drove, driven)

Definition

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.Causing somebody to actUrging and persuadingPushing and shoving C1 [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.Causing somebody to actUrging and persuadingPushing and shoving drive sb mad, crazy, etc. B2 informal › 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.Causing feelings of anger and displeasure drive sb wild informal › to make you very excited, especially sexually: When he runs his fingers through my hair, it drives me wild!Sexual attractionAttractiveMaking people excited and interestedInspiration and inspiring

(Definition of drive verb (FORCE) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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