Meaning of “adrift” in the English Dictionary

English

"adrift" in English

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adriftadjective [ after verb ]

us ​ uk ​ /əˈdrɪft/

› If a boat is adrift, it is moving on the water but is not controlled by anyone because of a problem:

He spent three days adrift on his yacht.

› If a person is adrift, they do not have a clear purpose in life or know what they want to do:

Da Silva plays a bright, lonely student from New York, adrift in small-town Arizona.
go/come adrift informal

› to become loose:

The hem of my skirt's come adrift again.
go adrift informal

› If plans go adrift, they fail or do not produce the correct results:

Something seems to have gone adrift in our calculations.

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(Definition of “adrift” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"adrift" in American English

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adriftadjective, adverb

us ​ /əˈdrɪft/

› (of a boat) not fastened and moving with the sea and wind, or fig. not controlled and living without a clear purpose or direction:

fig. Hopeful actors from small towns are often adrift in New York.

(Definition of “adrift” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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