English

Pronunciation
drĭft, /drɪft/, /<tt>drIft</tt>/
audio|en-us-drift.ogg|Audio (US)
:Rhymes:English:-ɪft|Rhymes: -ɪft

Noun
en-noun

1. The act or motion of drifting; the force which impels or drives; an overpowering influence or impulse.
2. A place, also known as a ford, along a river where the water is shallow enough to permit oxen or sheep to be driven to the opposite side.
3. Course or direction along which anything is driven; setting.
4. The tendency of an act, argument, course of conduct, or the like; object aimed at or intended; intention; hence, also, import or meaning of a sentence or discourse; aim.
5. That which is driven, forced, or urged along
6. Anything driven at random.
7. A mass of matter which has been driven or forced onward together in a body, or thrown together in a heap, etc., esp. by wind or water; as, a drift of snow, of ice, of sand, and the like.
8. A drove or flock, as of cattle, sheep, birds.
9. The horizontal thrust or pressure of an arch or vault upon the abutments.
10. A collection of loose earth and rocks, or boulders, which have been distributed over large portions of the earth's surface, especially in latitudes north of forty degrees, by the agency of ice.
11. In South Africa, a ford in a river.
12. A slightly tapered tool of steel for enlarging or shaping a hole in metal, by being forced or driven into or through it; a broach.
13. A tool used in driving down compactly the composition contained in a rocket, or like firework.
14. A deviation from the line of fire, peculiar to oblong projectiles.
15. A passage driven or cut between shaft and shaft; a driftway; a small subterranean gallery; an adit or tunnel.
16. The distance through which a current flows in a given time.
17. The angle which the line of a ship's motion makes with the meridian, in drifting.
18. The distance to which a vessel is carried off from her desired course by the wind, currents, or other causes.
19. The place in a deep-waisted vessel where the sheer is raised and the rail is cut off, and usually terminated with a scroll, or driftpiece.
20. The distance between the two blocks of a tackle.
21. The difference between the size of a bolt and the hole into which it is driven, or between the circumference of a hoop and that of the mast on which it is to be driven.
22. A sideways movement of the ball through the air, when bowled by a spin bowler.
23. Driftwood|driftwood included in flotsam washed up onto the beach.
24. Driftless Area|Drift (see Wikipedia). The material left behind by the retreat of continenal glaciers. It buries former river valleys and creates young river valleys. The Diftless Area, a geographical area of North America, was unglaciated for the past 510 million years. Mass noun.

Translations
trans-top|The act or motion of drifting; the force which impels or drives; an overpowering influence or impulse
Swedish: drift#Swedish|drift
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trans-top|A place, also known as a ford, along a river where the water is shallow enough to permit oxen or sheep to be driven to the opposite side
Finnish: kahluupaikka
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Swedish: drift#Swedish|drift
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trans-top|Course or direction along which anything is driven; setting
Swedish: drift#Swedish|drift
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trans-top|The tendency of an act, argument, course of conduct, or the like; object aimed at or intended; intention
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trans-top|That which is driven, forced, or urged along
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trans-top|Anything driven at random
Swedish: driva
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trans-top|A mass of matter which has been driven or forced onward together in a body, or thrown together in a heap, etc.
Finnish: kasa, kasaantuma, kasautuma
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trans-top|A drove or flock, as of cattle, sheep, birds
Finnish: lauma
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trans-top|The horizontal thrust or pressure of an arch or vault upon the abutments
trans-mid
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trans-top|A collection of loose earth and rocks, or boulders, which have been distributed over large portions of the earth's surface
trans-mid
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trans-top|In South Africa, a ford in a river
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trans-top|A slightly tapered tool of steel for enlarging or shaping a hole in metal
trans-mid
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trans-top|A tool used in driving down compactly the composition contained in a rocket, or like firework
Swedish: drift#Swedish|drift
trans-mid
trans-bottom

trans-top|A deviation from the line of fire, peculiar to oblong projectiles
trans-mid
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trans-top|A passage driven or cut between shaft and shaft; a driftway; a small subterranean gallery; an adit or tunnel
Swedish: drift#Swedish|drift
trans-mid
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trans-top|The distance through which a current flows in a given time
trans-mid
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trans-top|The angle which the line of a ship's motion makes with the meridian, in drifting
Swedish: drift#Swedish|drift
trans-mid
trans-bottom

trans-top|The distance to which a vessel is carried off from her desired course by the wind, currents, or other causes
trans-mid
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trans-top|The place in a deep-waisted vessel where the sheer is raised and the rail is cut off
trans-mid
trans-bottom

trans-top|The distance between the two blocks of a tackle
trans-mid
trans-bottom

trans-top|The difference between the size of a bolt and the hole into which it is driven
trans-mid
trans-bottom

trans-top|A sideways movement of the ball through the air, when bowled by a spin bowler
trans-mid
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trans-top|Driftwood included in flotsam washed up onto the beach
Finnish: ajopuu
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Verb
en-verb

1. To move slowly, pushed by currents of water, air, etc

#: The boat drifted away from the shore.
#: The balloon was drifting in the breeze.

1. To move haphazardly without any destination.

#: ''He drifted from town to town, never settling down.

1. To deviate gently from the intended direction of travel.

#: ''This car tends to drift left at high speeds

Translations
trans-top|To move slowly, pushed by currents of water, air, etc
Finnish: ajelehtia, ajautua
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trans-top|To move haphazardly without any destination
Finnish: harhailla, hortoilla, kuljeskella
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trans-top|To deviate gently from the intended direction of travel
Finnish: ajautua
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Dutch
Noun
drift c

1. passion
2. strong and sudden upwelling of anger: a fit
3. violent tendency
4. flock (of sheep or oxen)
5. deviation of direction caused by wind: drift#English|drift
6. path along which cattle are driven

Related terms
driftig

Category:Dutch nouns

ar:drift
es:drift
fa:drift
fr:drift
io:drift
it:drift
no:drift
ru:drift
fi:drift
te:drift
vi:drift
tr:drift
zh:drift

• 2007-11-03 04:05 - 204.73.103.253 - Drift as mass noun

Full Revision History