Drive (verb) — to operate and steer a vehicle, especially a car: She drives to work every day.
Drive (noun) — (1) a journey by car: It's a two-hour drive from London. (2) a private road leading to a house: Park on the drive. (3) strong inner motivation: He has the drive to succeed.
What Does Drive Mean?
Drive comes from Old English drīfan, meaning "to urge forward, to chase or push". Its Germanic root is shared with Dutch drijven and German treiben, both meaning "to push" or "to propel". The word entered modern English with its core sense of physical propulsion — originally of animals and people, later extended to vehicles as horse-drawn carts and eventually motor cars became common.
By the 19th century, drive had developed its noun sense of a private road or carriage-way leading to a country house. The figurative sense — inner motivation, ambition, energy — emerged in the early 20th century and is now equally common, appearing in business language ("drive results"), psychology ("sex drive", "achievement drive"), and everyday speech ("she has the drive to get things done").
Because drive is both a high-frequency everyday verb (operating a car) and a key business and motivational noun, it is useful vocabulary from A2 level onwards. ESL learners often underuse its figurative and idiomatic senses, which are just as important as the literal meaning. See Cambridge Dictionary's full entry on “drive” for more examples.
Example Sentences by Level
| Sentence | Level | Usage note |
|---|---|---|
| She drives to work every day. | A2 | basic verb — present simple, daily routine |
| My dad drove me to the station this morning. | B1 | irregular past simple: drove; transitive — to drive someone somewhere |
| It's about a three-hour drive from here to Edinburgh. | B1 | noun sense — duration of a car journey |
| The new CEO has the drive and vision to turn the company around. | B2 | figurative noun — inner motivation; common in business contexts |
| A relentless pursuit of efficiency can drive employees to the point of burnout. | C1 | idiomatic — "drive someone to [a state]"; formal register |
Collocations
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| drive to work / school | Most people in rural areas drive to work. |
| drive carefully / safely | Please drive carefully on icy roads. |
| drive someone mad / crazy | That noise is driving me mad. |
| drive a hard bargain | The supplier drives a hard bargain, but we finally agreed. |
| test drive | I took the new model for a test drive at the weekend. |
| four-wheel drive | A four-wheel drive vehicle is essential on these mountain tracks. |
| hard drive | Make sure you back up the files on your hard drive regularly. |
| drive growth / results | The marketing campaign drove significant growth in sales. |
| drive home a point | She used three clear examples to drive her point home. |
| ambition / determination and drive | What this team lacks is not talent — it's drive. |
Usage Notes
- Irregular verb forms: Drive is irregular — present: drive, past simple: drove, past participle: driven. The form drived does not exist in standard English.
- Transitive and intransitive: Drive can be used without an object ("She drives every day") or with one ("He drove the children to school"). When used with a person as object, it means to give someone a lift.
- Drive vs. ride: Use drive for enclosed vehicles you steer (car, lorry, bus). Use ride for vehicles or animals you sit on top of (bicycle, motorbike, horse).
- Figurative use: In business and motivational English, drive as a noun means strong ambition or inner energy. As a verb, "to drive something" means to cause or push it forward: "What's driving inflation?" This figurative use is very common at B2 and above.
- British noun sense — driveway: In British English, drive can refer to the private road or paved area leading to a house. This is often used interchangeably with driveway: "I'll park on the drive."
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
Yesterday I drived to the supermarket.
Yesterday I drove to the supermarket. (drove is the correct past simple)
She rides her car to work every morning.
She drives her car to work every morning. (use drive for cars, ride for bicycles/motorbikes)
He has a very big drive from home to the office. (meaning a long journey)
He has a very long drive from home to the office. (use long / short, not big / small, with drive as a noun)
Related Words
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Want to understand the grammar behind this? Explore our Grammar guides.
Frequently Asked Questions about “drive”
What does drive mean in English?
Drive has several meanings. As a verb, it means to operate and control a vehicle: 'She drives to work every day.' As a noun, it can mean a journey by car ('a short drive from here'), a private road leading to a house ('park on the drive'), or strong inner motivation ('He has the drive to succeed').
What is the past tense of drive?
Drive is an irregular verb. The past simple is drove: 'She drove to the airport.' The past participle is driven: 'He has driven this route many times.' Never say 'drived' — this is a very common mistake made by ESL learners.
What is the difference between drive and ride?
Drive is used for vehicles you sit inside and steer — cars, lorries, buses. Ride is used for vehicles or animals you sit on top of — bikes, motorbikes, horses. Say 'drive a car' or 'ride a bicycle', never 'ride a car' or 'drive a bike'.
What does 'drive' mean as a noun?
As a noun, drive has three main meanings in British English: (1) a journey by car — 'It's only a twenty-minute drive'; (2) a private road or driveway leading to a house — 'He parked on the drive'; (3) strong motivation or ambition — 'She has the drive and determination to reach the top.'
What are common collocations with drive?
Common verb collocations include: drive carefully, drive fast, drive to work, drive someone mad, drive a hard bargain. Common noun collocations include: test drive, hard drive, disk drive, long drive, short drive, left-hand drive, four-wheel drive. The phrase 'drive someone crazy' means to frustrate or annoy someone greatly.
What does 'what drives you' mean?
'What drives you?' is a common interview question meaning 'What motivates you?' or 'What gives you the energy and ambition to work hard?' It uses drive in the sense of inner motivation. A typical answer might be: 'I am driven by the desire to solve complex problems and help others.'
Can drive be used figuratively?
Yes, drive is frequently used figuratively. 'To drive someone to despair' means to push them into a state of hopelessness. 'To drive a point home' means to make an argument very forcefully. 'To drive a wedge between people' means to cause a conflict that separates them. These idioms are common in both spoken and written English.
What is the difference between drive and commute?
Drive describes the physical act of operating a vehicle on any journey. Commute specifically refers to the regular journey between home and workplace, regardless of the mode of transport. You can commute by train, bus, or car. If you travel to work by car, you both drive and commute.
How do you say drive in formal writing?
In formal writing, drive is perfectly acceptable. For the verb sense, you might also use 'operate a vehicle' or 'travel by car'. For the motivational noun sense, alternatives include 'ambition', 'determination', or 'motivation'. In business writing, 'drive growth' and 'drive results' are standard collocations.
How can I practise using drive in English?
Use LexFizz's Flash Cards to practise drive and its related forms (drove, driven, driver, driveway). The Complete the Sentence exercise tests whether you can choose the correct form in context. Watching British TV programmes about travel or motoring is also an excellent way to hear drive used naturally.