Synonyms for drift
drɪftdrift

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:2.0 / 1 vote

1. drift

   Synonyms:
   tendency, direction, motion, tenor, meaning, purport, object, intention, purpose, scope, aim, result, issue, interence, conclusion, end, course

   Antonyms:
   aimlessness, pointlessness, vagueness, unmeaningness, indefiniteness, confusedness, aberrancy

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. drift, impetus, impulsionnoun

   a force that moves something along

   Synonyms:
   trend, impetus, movement, heading, purport, impulsion, gallery, impulse

2. driftnoun

   the gradual departure from an intended course due to external influences (as a ship or plane)

   Synonyms:
   gallery, impulsion, heading, impetus, trend, purport, movement

3. driftnoun

   a process of linguistic change over a period of time

   Synonyms:
   gallery, impulsion, heading, impetus, trend, purport, movement

4. driftnoun

   a large mass of material that is heaped up by the wind or by water currents

   Synonyms:
   gallery, impulsion, heading, impetus, trend, purport, movement

5. drift, trend, movementnoun

   a general tendency to change (as of opinion)

   "not openly liberal but that is the trend of the book"; "a broad movement of the electorate to the right"

   Synonyms:
   impulsion, apparent motion, bm, effort, vogue, front, purport, trend, drive, tendency, gallery, move, movement, campaign, style, apparent movement, motion, cause, social movement, bowel movement, impetus, crusade, motility, course, heading

6. drift, purportnoun

   the pervading meaning or tenor

   "caught the general drift of the conversation"

   Synonyms:
   trend, impetus, movement, heading, purport, spirit, impulsion, gallery, intent

7. drift, heading, galleryverb

   a horizontal (or nearly horizontal) passageway in a mine

   "they dug a drift parallel with the vein"

   Synonyms:
   trend, picture gallery, head, header, art gallery, bearing, impetus, movement, heading, aim, purport, veranda, impulsion, gallery, verandah

8. float, drift, be adrift, blowverb

   be in motion due to some air or water current

   "The leaves were blowing in the wind"; "the boat drifted on the lake"; "The sailboat was adrift on the open sea"; "the shipwrecked boat drifted away from the shore"

   Synonyms:
   swash, rove, vagabond, botch, ramble, bungle, muck up, range, mishandle, bumble, botch up, brag, stray, blow, tout, burn out, screw up, suck, gasconade, roll, fumble, flub, fellate, cast, ball up, err, freewheel, bollocks, wander, shoot a line, mess up, shove off, waste, louse up, bollocks up, float, gas, bollix, bluster, vaunt, swan, muff, tramp, blow out, swim, foul up, boast, fluff, bobble, go down on, be adrift, shove along, bollix up, squander, spoil, roam, bodge

9. stray, err, driftverb

   wander from a direct course or at random

   "The child strayed from the path and her parents lost sight of her"; "don't drift from the set course"

   Synonyms:
   ramble, rove, range, stray, divagate, err, cast, roam, be adrift, swan, roll, digress, wander, slip, freewheel, blow, tramp, mistake, vagabond, float

10. roll, wander, swan, stray, tramp, roam, cast, ramble, rove, range, drift, vagabondverb

    move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment

    "The gypsies roamed the woods"; "roving vagabonds"; "the wandering Jew"; "The cattle roam across the prairie"; "the laborers drift from one town to the next"; "They rolled from town to town"

    Synonyms:
    roam, project, hustle, wrap, verify, spue, redact, affirm, draw, cast off, wave, array, assert, wander, cheat on, mold, float, cast, put, twine, slog, turn over, avow, cheat, throw away, frame, place, roll up, seethe, pasture, crop, vomit up, browse, chuck, mould, roll, throw up, contrive, retch, purge, rate, betray, tramp, disgorge, swear, plod, meander, flap, blow, lay out, pad, shed, wheel, shake off, barf, graze, weave, stray, wind, range, vagabond, swan, rank, grade, couch, thread, pluck, freewheel, rove, be adrift, ramble, regurgitate, cuckold, throw off, straddle, throw, cat, vomit, ramble on, revolve, order, hurtle, spew, honk, roll out, regorge, drop, set out, aver, run, jog, hurl, trudge, err, upchuck, footslog, be sick, undulate, digress, sick, divagate, puke

11. driftverb

    vary or move from a fixed point or course

    "stock prices are drifting higher"

    Synonyms:
    be adrift, cast, ramble, stray, tramp, float, roll, roam, range, err, rove, blow, vagabond, wander, swan, freewheel

12. freewheel, driftverb

    live unhurriedly, irresponsibly, or freely

    "My son drifted around for years in California before going to law school"

    Synonyms:
    rove, range, stray, ramble, err, cast, roam, be adrift, swan, roll, wander, freewheel, blow, tramp, vagabond, float

13. driftverb

    move in an unhurried fashion

    "The unknown young man drifted among the invited guests"

    Synonyms:
    be adrift, cast, ramble, stray, tramp, float, roll, roam, range, err, rove, blow, vagabond, wander, swan, freewheel

14. driftverb

    cause to be carried by a current

    "drift the boats downstream"

    Synonyms:
    be adrift, cast, ramble, stray, tramp, float, roll, roam, range, err, rove, blow, vagabond, wander, swan, freewheel

15. driftverb

    drive slowly and far afield for grazing

    "drift the cattle herds westwards"

    Synonyms:
    be adrift, cast, ramble, stray, tramp, float, roll, roam, range, err, rove, blow, vagabond, wander, swan, freewheel

16. driftverb

    be subject to fluctuation

    "The stock market drifted upward"

    Synonyms:
    be adrift, cast, ramble, stray, tramp, float, roll, roam, range, err, rove, blow, vagabond, wander, swan, freewheel

17. driftverb

    be piled up in banks or heaps by the force of wind or a current

    "snow drifting several feet high"; "sand drifting like snow"

    Synonyms:
    be adrift, cast, ramble, stray, tramp, float, roll, roam, range, err, rove, blow, vagabond, wander, swan, freewheel

Matched Categories

1. • Accumulate
   • Change
   • Circulate
   • Crop
   • Float
   • Linguistic Process
   • Live
   • Mass
   • Natural Process
   • Ship
   • Travel
   • Vary

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. driftnoun

   Synonyms:
   course, bearing, direction

2. driftnoun

   Synonyms:
   aim, purpose, intention, intent, proposal, design, scope, tendency, object, mark

3. driftnoun

   Synonyms:
   (Geol.) diluvium, diluvial formations

4. driftnoun

   Synonyms:
   (Mining.) passage (under ground, between shafts)

5. driftverb

   Synonyms:
   drive into heaps

6. driftverb

   Synonyms:
   float, be wafted

7. driftverb

   Synonyms:
   accumulate in heaps, be driven into heaps

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. driftnoun

   Synonyms:
   course, direction, bearing, tendency, aim, intention intent, design, import, meaning, accumulation, heap, bank, pile, diluvium

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "drift":

   drifting, adrift, punch, coaster, derive, leeway, deviation, tendency

How to pronounce drift?

How to say drift in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use drift in a sentence?

1. Oliver Wendell Holmes:

   I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving -- we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it -- but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor.

2. David Grayson:

   I sometimes think we expect too much of Christmas Day. We try to crowd into it the long arrears of kindliness and humanity of the whole year. As for me, I like to take my Christmas a little at a time, all through the year. And thus I drift along into the holidays--let them overtake me unexpectedly--waking up some fine morning and suddenly saying to myself Why this is Christmas Day

3. Robert Frost:

   Ah, when to the heart of man Was it ever less than a treason To go with the drift of things To yield with a grace to reason And bow and accept at the end Of a love or a season.

4. Michael Breus:

   The sound will bounce back in the other direction, reducing the noise enough so you're more likely to drift off.

5. Terry Torrison:

   The weight of money does seem to want to come back into the stock markets and we're more likely to drift up going into the end of the year than to drift down.