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Synonyms

drove

1 American  
[drohv] / droʊv /

verb

  1. simple past tense of drive.


drove 2 American  
[drohv] / droʊv /

noun

  1. a number of oxen, sheep, or swine driven in a group; herd; flock.

  2. Usually droves a large crowd of human beings, especially in motion.

    They came to Yankee Stadium in droves.

  3. Also called drove chiselMasonry. a chisel, from 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) broad at the edge, for dressing stones to an approximately true surface.


verb (used with or without object)

droved, droving
  1. to drive or deal in (cattle) as a drover; herd.

  2. Masonry. to work or smooth (stone) as with a drove.

drove 1 British  
/ drəʊv /

noun

  1. a herd of livestock being driven together

  2. (often plural) a moving crowd of people

  3. a narrow irrigation channel

  4. Also called: drove chisel.  a chisel with a broad edge used for dressing stone

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

    1. (tr) to drive (a group of livestock), usually for a considerable distance

    2. (intr) to be employed as a drover

  1. to work (a stone surface) with a drove

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
drove 2 British  
/ drəʊv /

verb

  1. the past tense of drive

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See flock 1.

Etymology

Origin of drove

First recorded before 950; Middle English; Old English drāf “that which is driven,” i.e., “herd, flock”; akin to drive

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Then my foot slipped just a little more than I could account for, and that heavy pack drove me into the dirt hard.

From The Wall Street Journal

The couple booked a separate coach to the airport, which was cancelled at short notice, so their son drove them from Leicester to the London airport.

From BBC

At the time of his death, Khamenei no longer drove an expansion of Iranian power, but was working hard to salvage the pieces of the Islamic Republic.

From The Wall Street Journal

The findings raise new questions about what drove the earliest stages of sponge evolution.

From Science Daily

A colder winter drove more space heating and fuel use in buildings, while in the power industry coal generation grew.

From The Wall Street Journal