drift

To move slowly, especially pushed by currents of water, air, etc.

Noun

  1. Movement; that which moves or is moved.
    • Some log perhaps upon the waters swam, a useless drift. - 1667, John Dryden, Annus Mirabilis: The Year of Wonders, 1666. […], London: […] Henry Herringman, […], →OCLC, (please specify the stanza number):

    1. Anything driven at random.

    2. A mass of matter which has been driven or forced onward together in a body, or thrown together in a heap, etc., especially by wind or water.

      • a drift of snow, of ice, of sand, of plants, etc.
      • Drifts of rising dust involve the sky. - 1725, Homer, “Book VIII”, in [William Broome], transl., The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume II, London: […] Bernard Lintot, →OCLC:
      • We […] got the brig a good bed in the rushing drift [of ice]. - 1855, Elisha Kent Kane, Arctic explorations: The second Grinnell expedition in search of Sir John Franklin:

    3. The distance through which a current flows in a given time.

    4. A drove or flock, as of cattle, sheep, birds.

      • cattle coming over the bridge (with their great drifts doing much damage to the high ways) - 1655, Thomas Fuller, The History of the University of Cambridge, since the Conquest, [London]: [[…] Iohn Williams […]], →OCLC:

    5. A collection of loose earth and rocks, or boulders, which have been distributed over large portions of the earth's surface, especially in latitudes north of forty degrees, by the retreat of continental glaciers, such as that which buries former river valleys and creates young river valleys.

      • It is there seen that at a distance from the valleys of streams, the old glacial drift usually comes to the surface, and often rises into considerable eminences. - 1867, E. Andrews, "Observations on the Glacial Drift...

    6. Driftwood included in flotsam washed up onto the beach.

    7. (obsolete) A driving; a violent movement.

      • The dragon drew him [self] away with drift of his wings. - 1332, author unknown, King Alisaunder:

    8. Course or direction along which anything is driven; setting.

      • Our drift was south. - 1589, Richard Hakluyt, The Principall Navigations, Voiages, and Discoveries of the English Nation, […], London: […] George Bishop and Ralph Newberie, deputies to Christopher Barker, […], →OCLC:

    9. That which is driven, forced, or urged along.

      • The desert storm was riding in its strength; the travellers lay beneath the mastery of the fell simoom.[…]Drifts of yellow vapour, fiery, parching, stinging, filled the air. - 1892, James Yoxall, chapter 5, in The...
  2. The act or motion of drifting; the force which impels or drives; an overpowering influence or impulse.
    • A bad man, being under the drift of any passion, will follow the impulse of it till something interpose. - 1678, Robert South, Prevention of Sin an unvaluable Mercy, sermon preached at Christ-Church, Oxon on November...
  3. A place (a ford) along a river where the water is shallow enough to permit crossing to the opposite side.
  4. The tendency of an act, argument, course of conduct, or the like; object aimed at or intended; intention; hence, also, import or meaning of a sentence or discourse; aim.
    • The Gods defenders of the innocent, Will neuer proſper your intended driftes, That thus oppreſſe poore friendles paſſengers. - c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First...
    • c. early 1700s, Joseph Addison, A Discourse on Ancient and Modern Learning He has made the drift of the whole poem a compliment on his country in general.
    • Now thou knowest my drift. - 1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson,...
  5. The horizontal thrust or pressure of an arch or vault upon the abutments.
  6. A tool.

    1. A slightly tapered tool of steel for enlarging or shaping a hole in metal, by being forced or driven into or through it; a broach.

    2. A tool used to pack down the composition contained in a rocket, or like firework.

    3. A tool used to insert or extract a removable pin made of metal or hardwood, for the purpose of aligning and/or securing two pieces of material together.

  7. A deviation from the line of fire, peculiar to obloid projectiles.
  8. Minor deviation of audio or video playback from its correct speed.
    • Reference sync servo system — permits minimal time-base error, assuring minimum jitter and drift. - 1975, Broadcast Management/engineering, volume 11:
  9. The situation where a performer gradually and unintentionally moves from their proper location within the scene.
    • There is another form of drift when playing in a scene with other actors. - 1970, Michael Pate, The Film Actor: Acting for Motion Pictures and Television, page 64:
  10. A passage driven or cut between shaft and shaft; a driftway; a small subterranean gallery.
  11. An adit or tunnel driven forward for purposes of exploration or exploitation; generally eventually to a dead end.
  12. A sloping winze or road to the surface, for purposes of haulage.

Origin

From Middle English drift, dryft (“act of driving, drove, shower of rain or snow, impulse”), from Old English *drift (“drift”), from Proto-Germanic *driftiz (“drift”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰreybʰ- (“to drive, push”). Equivalent to drive + -t; cognate with North Frisian drift (“drift”), Saterland Frisian Drift (“current, flow, stream, drift”), Dutch drift (“drift, passion, urge”), German Drift (“drift”) and Trift (“drove, pasture”), Danish drift (“impulse, instinct”), Swedish drift (“impulse, instinct”), Icelandic drift (“drift, snow-drift”).

Forms

drifts

Derived

afterdrift AI drift catch someone's drift channel drift concept drift continental drift Darwin drift dedrift downdrift downward drift driftage driftal drift anchor drift-anchor driftbolt drift-bolt drift-current drift excursion driftfish drift fishing drift fruit driftful drift ice driftland

Verb

  1. To move slowly, especially pushed by currents of water, air, etc.
    • The boat drifted away from the shore.
    • The balloon was drifting in the breeze.
    • One day I was out in the barn and he drifted in. I was currying the horse and he set down on the wheelbarrow and begun to ask questions. - 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter XI, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York,...
  2. To move haphazardly without any destination.
    • He drifted from town to town, never settling down.
  3. To deviate gently from the intended direction of travel.
    • This car tends to drift left at high speeds.
    • Midway through the half, Argentine Tevez did begin to drift inside in order to exert his influence but by this stage Mick McCarthy's side had gone 1-0 up and looked comfortable. - 2011 January 15, Saj Chowdhury, “Man...
  4. To drive or carry, as currents do a floating body.
    • 1865-1866, John Henry Newman, Apologia Pro Vita Sua I was drifted back first to the ante - Nicene history , and then to the Church of Alexandria
  5. To drive into heaps.
    • A current of wind drifts snow or sand
  6. To accumulate in heaps by the force of wind; to be driven into heaps.
    • Snow or sand drifts.
  7. To make a drift; to examine a vein or ledge for the purpose of ascertaining the presence of metals or ores; to follow a vein; to prospect.
  8. To enlarge or shape, as a hole, with a drift.
  9. To oversteer a vehicle, causing loss of traction, while maintaining control from entry to exit of a corner. See Drifting (motorsport).

Forms

drifts drifting drifted

Derived

adrift bedrift drift along drift apart drift away drift off indrift overdrift