1. a horizontal (or nearly horizontal) passageway in a mine; "they dug a drift parallel with the vein"
2. general meaning or tenor; "caught the drift of the conversation"
3. 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"
4. something that is heaped up by the wind or by water currents
5. a force that moves something along
6. the gradual departure from an intended course due to external influences (as a ship or plane)
7. a process of linguistic change over a period of time
8. be piled up in banks or heaps by the force of wind or a current; "snow drifting several feet high"; "sand drifting like snow"
9. be subject to fluctuation; "The stock market drifted upward"
10. drive slowly and far afield for grazing; "drift the cattle herds westwards"
11. cause to be carried by a current; "drift the boats downstream"
12. 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 ro
13. 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"
14. move in an unhurried fashion; "The unknown young man drifted among the invited guests"
15. 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"
16. live unhurriedly, irresponsibly, or freely; "My son drifted around for years in California before going to law school"
17. vary or move from a fixed point or course; "stock prices are drifting higher"

Similar Words: heading, gallery, purport, trend, movement, impetus, impulsion, roll, wander, swan, stray, tramp, roam, cast, ramble, rove, range, vagabond, float, be adrift, blow, err, freewheel

 

Hyponyms: evolutionary trend, gravitation, drumlin, snowdrift, leeway, melioration, maunder, gallivant, gad, jazz around, waft, tide, stream

 

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

 

Derivational Morphology: drive, get, aim, impel, force, float, be adrift, blow, stray, err, trend, movement, impetus, impulsion, vagrant, drifter, floater, vagabond, wandering, roving, vagabondage, drifting, amble, promenade, ramble, saunter, stroll, perambulation, rambler, wanderer, roamer, rover, bird of passage, hiker, tramp, tramper, alley cat, straggler, strayer, gust, blast, driftage, free agent, free spirit, freewheeler