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 synonyms:

1. List of paraphrases:

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

How to pronounce drift?

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US English

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British

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Australian

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Indian

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How to use drift in a sentence?

1. Stephen Innes:

   Oil prices have followed the general de-risking drift into year-end despite a rise in Middle East tensions and last week's bullish-for-oil-price inventory draws as the broader markets appear to be losing some of that holiday cheer.

2. David Cockfield:

   We're into a resistance zone here, a little sideways moment, maybe even a drift down, is probably justified here.

3. Kim Do-hoon:

   Kim Jong Un has been promoting the fisheries, which could explain why there are more fishing boats going out, 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.

4. Sal Guatieri:

   U.S. inflation continues to drift gradually higher in response to a nearly fully employed economy, with some nudging from tariffs, the Fed has every reason to pull the rate trigger again in October.

5. Tom Carter:

   I drift like a cloud, Across these venerable eastern lands, A journey of unfathomable distances, An endless scroll of experiences... Lady Zhejiang here we must part, For the next province awaits my embrace. Sad wanderer, once you conquer the East, Where do you go?

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