# drift

Pronunciation: say "DRIFT" /dɹɪft/

## Verb

1. To move slowly, especially when pushed along by currents of water, air, or similar forces.
   - Simple: To move slowly, carried along by water, air, or another current.
   - _The raft will drift downstream unless someone paddles._
   - _Seeds drift on the breeze until they settle in new soil._
2. To move about haphazardly, without any fixed destination or purpose.
   - Simple: To move around with no plan or goal.
   - _They drift from town to town, never staying long._
   - _Her thoughts drifted aimlessly during the lecture._
6. To move gradually away from one's intended course or heading.
   - Simple: To move slowly away from the direction you meant to go.
   - _The swimmer drifted slightly from his lane in the strong current._
   - _Pilots correct constantly so the aircraft does not drift from its path._
7. To deliberately oversteer a car so it loses traction and slides through a corner, while keeping control from the corner's entry to its exit.
   - Simple: To slide a car sideways through a turn on purpose while keeping control.
   - _Competitors drift through each corner, judged on angle and speed._
   - _She drifted the rear-wheel-drive coupe along the entire mountain pass._
9. To accumulate into heaps under the force of the wind; to be driven together into piles.
   - Simple: To pile up into heaps when blown by the wind.
   - _Snow will drift against the fence if the wind keeps up._
   - _By morning the sand had drifted into low ridges across the path._
14. To drive or carry something along, as currents carry a floating body.
   - Simple: To carry something along, the way water or wind moves a floating object.
   - _The tide drifted the wreckage onto the beach._
   - _Meltwater can drift loose gravel for miles downstream._
15. To drive something into heaps, as wind gathers snow or sand.
   - Simple: To blow or push something into heaps.
   - _The storm drifted sand across the abandoned road._
   - _Northern winds drift the snow into ridges along the highway._
28. To enlarge or shape a hole in metal by forcing a tapered tool through it.
   - Simple: To make a hole in metal bigger or to shape it using a tapered tool.
   - _Machinists drift the rivet holes until they align across both plates._
   - _Before tapping, they drift the bore to the required diameter._
29. To make a drift; to follow and examine a vein or ledge in order to determine the presence of metals or ores; to prospect. *(US)*
   - Simple: In mining, to dig a tunnel along a vein to look for metal or ore.
   - _Old-timers would drift for weeks before striking a paying seam._
   - _The partners decided to drift along the ledge rather than sink another shaft._

## Noun

3. A mass of matter driven together into a heap, especially snow or sand piled up by wind or water.
   - Simple: A pile of snow, sand, or other matter heaped up by wind or water.
   - _Climbers struggled through a chest-high drift on the ridge._
   - _Wind sculpted the snow into a smooth drift against the fence._
4. Slow, cumulative change that builds gradually over time.
   - Simple: A slow change that builds up little by little over time.
   - _Economists tracked the slow drift of wages over the decade._
   - _There was a noticeable drift in public opinion after the scandal._
5. The general meaning, intent, or tendency of what someone says or does; the point being aimed at.
   - Simple: The general meaning or point of what someone is saying.
   - _His speech rambled, but the drift was clear enough._
   - _She nodded, following the drift of his reasoning._
8. The motion of drifting, or the driving force that impels something onward, sometimes an overpowering impulse.
   - Simple: The act of drifting, or a strong force that pushes something along.
   - _The drift of the tide made anchoring difficult._
   - _Caught in the drift of events, she made no decisions of her own._
10. The distance a vessel is carried off its intended course by wind, currents, or other forces.
   - Simple: How far a boat is pushed off its planned course by wind or currents.
   - _Navigators correct for drift when plotting a course across open water._
   - _The ferry's drift increased as the tide turned against it._
11. A slight departure of audio or video playback from its intended speed.
   - Simple: A small change in how fast audio or video plays compared to its correct speed.
   - _Engineers corrected the drift that was pushing the dialogue out of sync._
   - _Over a long recording, even small drift causes noticeable lip-sync errors._
12. A spread of loose earth, rocks, and boulders distributed across the land surface by retreating continental glaciers, often burying old valleys and shaping new ones.
   - Simple: Loose earth, rocks, and boulders left spread across the land by melting glaciers.
   - _Wells in the region draw water from deep within the drift._
   - _The drift here is rich in clay carried south by the ice sheets._
13. The course or direction along which something is driven or carried; its set.
   - Simple: The direction in which something is pushed or carried along.
   - _The drift of the floe was steadily northward._
   - _Forecasters tracked the drift of the ash plume across the region._
16. Pieces of wood that, as part of the flotsam, the sea washes up onto the beach.
   - Simple: Wood that has floated in on the sea and washed up onto the beach.
   - _The children gathered drift from the tideline to build a small shelter._
   - _Heaps of drift accumulate on the northern beach each winter._
17. The measured distance a current travels, or carries an object, in a given period of time.
   - Simple: How far a current moves something in a set amount of time.
   - _Navigators calculate drift to correct their heading against the prevailing current._
   - _The buoy's position revealed a steady eastward drift over the twelve hours._
18. The sideways movement of the ball through the air as it is delivered by a spin bowler.
   - Simple: In cricket, the sideways movement of a spun ball as it travels through the air.
   - _The off-spinner generated late drift that deceived the batsman in flight._
   - _Bowlers rely on drift to set up the angle before the ball turns off the pitch._
19. The gradual, unintended movement of a performer away from their correct position within a scene.
   - Simple: When an actor slowly moves away from where they should be standing in a scene.
   - _Continuity staff watch for drift that would break the established blocking between shots._
   - _By the third rehearsal, the actors' drift had pushed them out of the key light._
20. The deviation of an elongated, spinning projectile from its line of fire, caused by its rotation.
   - Simple: The sideways movement of a long, spinning bullet away from the straight line it was fired along.
   - _Snipers compensate for drift, which grows more pronounced as range increases._
   - _The gunnery tables list drift corrections for each charge and elevation._
21. The deviation of a borehole or driven tunnel from its intended course.
   - Simple: In mining, how far a tunnel or drill hole moves away from its planned path.
   - _Surveyors logged the drift of the tunnel every few meters to keep it on line._
   - _Excessive drift forced the engineers to re-survey the heading._
22. A slightly tapered steel tool that, when forced through a hole in metal, enlarges or shapes it; a broach.
   - Simple: A tapered steel tool that is driven into a hole in metal to make it bigger or reshape it.
   - _The fitter selected a drift sized to bring the rivet holes into alignment._
   - _Driving the drift home, she smoothed the rough bore to the correct diameter._
23. A drove or flock of animals moving together, such as cattle, sheep, or birds.
   - Simple: A group of animals, such as cattle, sheep, or birds, moving along together.
   - _At dawn a drift of geese rose noisily from the marsh._
   - _The herders steered the drift of cattle down the narrow lane._
24. A shallow stretch of a river, a ford, where the water is low enough to allow crossing to the far bank.
   - Simple: A shallow place in a river where you can cross to the other side.
   - _The wagons forded the river at the old drift below the town._
   - _Soldiers guarded every drift along the swollen river._
25. A passage cut between one shaft and another underground; a driftway or small subterranean gallery.
   - Simple: In mining, a small underground tunnel cut between one shaft and another.
   - _The crew advanced the drift toward the next shaft through solid rock._
   - _Ventilation was poor in the lower drift until a second opening was bored._
26. An adit or tunnel driven forward to explore or work a deposit, generally terminating eventually at a dead end.
   - Simple: In mining, a tunnel dug forward to search for or remove ore, often ending in a dead end.
   - _The company extended the drift another hundred feet in search of richer ore._
   - _Once the vein pinched out, the drift was abandoned at its dead end._
27. A tool used to drive a removable metal or hardwood pin into or out of place, so as to align or secure two pieces of material.
   - Simple: A tool used to push a removable pin in or out so two parts line up or hold together.
   - _The mechanic seated the drift against the pin and tapped it free._
   - _With a drift, she aligned the bracket holes and slipped the dowel through._
30. The horizontal thrust that an arch or vault exerts outward against its abutments.
   - Simple: In building, the sideways push that an arch or vault presses against its supports.
   - _The flying buttresses were added to counter the drift of the cathedral's vault._
   - _Engineers calculated the drift before sizing the supporting piers._

## Other meanings

- (noun) Something carried along without aim or direction.
- (noun) A forceful rush or driving movement.
- (noun) In firework making, a rod used to tamp the powder firmly into a rocket or similar case.
- (noun) In mining, a sloping passage for hauling loads, running up to the surface or between underground levels.
- (noun) A tunnel dug in coal workings to explore ahead or to carry air.
- (noun) A mine passage cut into a coal seam.
- (noun) The angle between a drifting ship's actual line of travel and a meridian.
- (noun) On an old sailing ship with a deep waist, the spot where the deck line steps up and the rail ends, often finished with a carved scroll.
- (noun) In a block and tackle, how far apart its two pulley blocks are.
- (noun) The amount by which a bolt is wider than its hole, or a hoop narrower than the mast it is forced onto.
- (noun) A seasonal roundup of the free-roaming ponies in England's New Forest, to check and mark them and take some off for sale.

## Origin

From Middle English drift ("act of driving, a drove, a shower of rain or snow, impulse"), going back through Old English and Proto-Germanic to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to drive, push." It is essentially drive plus the suffix -t, and is related to words like Dutch drift and German Drift.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/drift (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).