# driving

Pronunciation: say "DRY-ving" /ˈdɹaɪvɪŋ/

## Noun

1. The action of operating a motor vehicle, such as a car, truck, or bus.
   - Simple: The act of controlling and steering a car, truck, or other motor vehicle.
   - _Years of city driving had made him a patient and cautious motorist._
   - _The state toughened its penalties for drunk driving last year._
5. The carrying out of the action expressed by the verb 'drive', in any of its senses.
   - Simple: The act of doing what the word 'drive' means, in any of its meanings.
   - _The driving of the herd to market began before sunrise._
   - _The driving of the stakes for the new fence was the hardest part of the job, since the ground was full of rock._
6. The act of hitting a golf ball a long distance, especially from the tee toward the putting green.
   - Simple: In golf, hitting the ball a long way, usually from the tee toward the green.
   - _Her driving was the strongest part of her game all season._
   - _Accurate driving kept him out of the rough on every hole._

## Verb

2. Present participle and gerund of drive, the -ing form used as part of the verb, as in 'was driving' or 'keeps driving'. — present participle and gerund of drive
   - Simple: Present participle and gerund of drive. Use it for an action in progress at any time, or to name the activity.
   - _The workers spent the morning driving wooden stakes into the frozen ground._
   - _He kept driving long after midnight to reach home._

## Adjective

3. Supplying the force or power that makes a mechanism or process operate.
   - Simple: Giving the power that makes a machine or process work.
   - _Engineers replaced the worn driving belt that powered the conveyor._
   - _Curiosity was the driving impulse behind her research._
4. Moving with great force; strong and forceful, as wind or rain in a storm.
   - Simple: Blowing or falling hard, like strong wind or heavy rain.
   - _The hikers were soaked within minutes by the driving rain._
   - _A driving gale tore branches from the old oak._

## Origin

**Meanings 2–4** — Proto-Germanic *drībaną ("to drive") had the present participle *drībandz, which became Old English drīfende and then Middle English dryvyng; in English terms it is drive + -ing. Dutch drijvend, German treibend, and Swedish drivande are its relatives.
**Meanings 1, 5–6** — Middle English driving is simply drive + -ing; Dutch drijving and German Treibung are comparable formations.

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