<p><strong>Noun</strong></p><ul><li>A driving movement or force; impulse; impetus; pressure.</li><li>(Of a ship) the component of the movement that is due to the force of wind and currents.</li><li>A broad, shallow ocean current that advances at the rate of 10 to 15 miles (16 to 24 km) a day.</li><li>The flow or the speed in knots of an ocean current.</li><li>The distance between the end of a rope and the part in use.</li><li>The distance between two blocks in a tackle.</li><li>The difference in diameter between two parts, one of which fits within the other, as a mast and its mast hoops, or a treenail and its hole.</li><li>The deviation of an aircraft from a set course due to cross winds.</li><li>The course along which something moves; tendency; aim.</li><li>Meaning; intent; purport.</li><li>Something driven, as animals, rain, etc.</li><li>A heap of any matter driven together.</li><li>A snowdrift.</li><li>Glacial drift.</li><li>The state or process of being driven.</li><li>Overbearing power or influence.</li><li>A tool used in charging an ordnance piece.</li><li>A gradual change in some operating characteristic of a circuit, tube, or other electronic device.</li><li>The movement of charge carriers in a semiconductor due to the influence of an applied voltage.</li><li>Gradual change in the structure of a language.</li><li>A secondary tunnel between two main tunnels or shafts.</li><li>An approximately horizontal passageway in underground mining.</li><li>The movement of charged particles under the influence of an electric field.</li><li>The gradual deviation of a rocket or guided missile from its intended trajectory.</li><li>Displacement of the gimbals of a gyroscope due to friction on bearings, unbalance of the gyroscope's mass or other imperfections.</li><li>The thrust of an arched structure.</li><li>A shift of the teeth from their normal position in the dental arch.</li><li>A flock of animals or birds.</li></ul><p><strong>Verb (used without object)</strong></p><ul><li>To be carried along by currents of water or air, or by the force of circumstances.</li><li>To wander aimlessly.</li><li>To be driven into heaps, as by the wind.</li><li>To deviate or vary from a set course or adjustment.</li></ul><p><strong>Verb (used with object)</strong></p><ul><li>To carry along.</li><li>To drive into heaps.</li><li>To enlarge (a punched or drilled hole) with a drift.</li><li>To align or straighten (holes, especially rivet holes) with a drift.</li></ul><p><strong>Verb Phrase</strong></p><ul><li>To fall asleep gradually.</li></ul>