Synonyms for drift
drɪft

Princeton's WordNet(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate these synonyms:

1. drift, impetus, impulsion(noun)

   a force that moves something along

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

2. drift(noun)

   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. drift(noun)

   a process of linguistic change over a period of time

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

4. drift(noun)

   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, movement(noun)

   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, purport(noun)

   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, gallery(verb)

   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, blow(verb)

   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, drift(verb)

   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, vagabond(verb)

    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. drift(verb)

    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, drift(verb)

    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. drift(verb)

    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. drift(verb)

    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. drift(verb)

    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. drift(verb)

    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. drift(verb)

    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

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms(2.00 / 1 vote)Rate these synonyms:

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

Dictionary of English Synonymes(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. drift(n.)

   Synonyms:
   course, bearing, direction

2. drift(n.)

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

3. drift(n.)

   Synonyms:
   (Geol.) diluvium, diluvial formations

4. drift(n.)

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

5. drift(v. a.)

   Synonyms:
   drive into heaps

6. drift(v. n.)

   Synonyms:
   float, be wafted

7. drift(v. n.)

   Synonyms:
   accumulate in heaps, be driven into heaps

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated Words(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these synonyms:

1. drift(n)

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

PPDB, the paraphrase database(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate these paraphrases:

1. List of paraphrases for "drift":

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

How to pronounce drift?

Alex

US English

Daniel

British

Karen

Australian

Veena

Indian

How to say drift in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use drift in a sentence?

1. Alex Azar:

   The Food and Drug Administration intends to finalize a guidance document that would commence enforcement to require that all flavors, other than tobacco flavor, would be removed from the market, this would include mint and menthol flavoring, as well as candy flavors, bubblegum flavor, fruit flavor, alcohol flavor. You get the drift.

2. Tim Reihm:

   I think there's been a tendency in the party to drift a little too far left and I think that's going to disenfranchise a large section of the country, joe represents a sort of a more middle ground where we can bring people together instead of becoming more and more fractious.

3. Terry Torrison:

   We've had a great run-up in the last few weeks and we're now just starting to pause for a bit on the markets, i don't think Draghi will say much apart from his usual dovish rhetoric, and I think markets could drift back down after the ECB today.

4. Charles Robba:

   My trip to the Mergui enlarged my appreciation for moving out of more commercial, westernized tourist areas elsewhere in Southeast Asia, one feels like an explorer on several levels. Viewing new landscapes each day, going on a RIB (rigid-hulled inflatable boat) to explore a beach, or taking a kayak by oneself to quietly drift off provides you with a new perspective to one's sense of the place.

5. Kim Do-hoon:

   But North Korean boats perform really poorly, with bad engines, risking lives to go far to catch more. Sometimes they drift and fishermen starve to death.

Images & Illustrations of drift