What is drive? Pronunciation and usage in English

drive means . Learn how to pronounce and use drive through vivid examples and easy-to-understand exercises.

Definition & pronunciation of drive

driveverb/noun

/drʌɪv/
Definition & pronunciation of drive

Okay, let's break down how to pronounce "drive" in English. There are two main ways it's pronounced, depending on where you are:

1. American English (Most Common):

  • Pronunciation: /ˈdraɪv/ (rhymes with "eye")
  • Breakdown:
    • dra - Sounds like the "dra" in "dragon" or "drama." It's a short, open "a" sound.
    • v - A simple, quick "v" sound.

2. British English (Received Pronunciation - the standard accent):

  • Pronunciation: /drɪv/ (rhymes with "riv")
  • Breakdown:
    • dr - Sounds like the "dr" in "dragon" or "drama" - a slightly more forceful "dr" sound.
    • ɪv - Sounds like the "i" in "bit" or "sit." Note the short "i" vowel.

Here's a quick way to tell the difference:

  • If you're in the US, say "eye" after the "dra."
  • If you're in the UK (or listening to a British speaker), say "riv" after the "dr."

Resources to Hear the Pronunciation:

To help me give you even more tailored advice, could you tell me:

  • Where are you located or what type of English are you most interested in learning? (e.g., USA, UK, Australia, Canada, etc.)

Usage and examples with the word drive in English

Let's break down how to use the word "drive" in English! It's a remarkably versatile word with many different meanings and uses. Here's a categorized breakdown to help you understand it:

1. Transportation (Most Common)

  • As a Verb (Moving a Vehicle): This is the most straightforward meaning.
    • "I drive a car."
    • "She drives to work every day."
    • "We drove to the beach."
    • "He drives very fast."
  • As a Noun (A Vehicle):
    • "My drive is a blue Ford." (Referring to the car itself)

2. Motivation & Emotion

  • To motivate or urge someone:
    • "His words drove me to tears." (Made me cry)
    • "The fear of failure drives many students to study hard." (Motivates them)
    • "She was driven by a desire to succeed."
  • To push someone (in a forceful way): (Often negative)
    • "The heavy rain drove us indoors." (Forced us)
    • “He was driven out of the country.” (Forced to leave)

3. Moving or pushing something else (Non-Vehicle)

  • To push something:
    • "I drove the nail into the wood."
    • "She drove the shovel into the ground."
  • To move something forcefully:
    • “They drove the ball into the net.” (Hit it hard)

4. A Route or Path

  • A road or route:
    • "The drive to the city is long." (The route)
    • "It's a long drive." (Referring to the distance of a road)
  • A series of actions or events: (Less common, but important)
    • “The company’s drive for innovation has been impressive.” (Their strategy/effort.)

5. Electrical & Technological Uses

  • To operate a computer (specifically a disk drive):
    • "I drove the data to the external hard drive." (accessed/transferred)
  • As part of technical terms: (Often combined with other words)
    • “Disk drive” – a component of a computer.

6. Phrases with "Drive"

  • Keep up the drive: (Continue your motivation/effort)
  • Driven to distraction: (Extremely worried or stressed)
  • Drive someone up the wall: (Annoy someone intensely)
  • Drive someone crazy: (Make someone very upset or irrational)
  • Drive a hard bargain: (Negotiate aggressively)

Tips for Using "Drive" Correctly

  • Context is key: Pay attention to the surrounding words to understand the specific meaning of "drive."
  • Consider the verb tense: Use the correct tense (present, past, future) depending on the action.
  • Synonyms: Be aware of synonyms that might fit better in a particular context (e.g., motivate, urge, force, push).

Resources for Further Learning:

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  • What are you trying to do with the word "drive"? (e.g., write a sentence, understand a specific phrase, etc.)

Synonyms for the word drive

Idioms of the word drive

as clean, pure, etc. as the driven snow
extremely clean, pure, etc.
    drive a coach and horses through something
    to cause something to fail, for example a plan
      drive/strike a hard bargain
      to argue in an aggressive way and force somebody to agree on the best possible price or arrangement
        drive something home (to somebody)
        to make somebody understand or accept something by saying it often, loudly, angrily, etc.
        • You will really need to drive your point home.
        drive somebody to drink
        (humorous)to make somebody so worried, annoyed or upset that they lose control of their behaviour, especially by drinking too much alcohol
        • The stress drove her to drink and put a strain on her marriage.
        • Dragging kids through airports is enough to drive you to drink.
        drive a wedge between A and B
        to make two people start disliking each other
        • I don't want to drive a wedge between the two of you.
        • This was just one of the issues that drove a wedge between them.
        run/drive/work yourself into the ground
        to work so hard that you become extremely tired
          what somebody is driving at
          (informal)the thing somebody is trying to say
          • I wish I knew what they were driving at.

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